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Greece came to a standstill on Friday as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to demand justice on the second anniversary of the tragic Tempi train crash that claimed 57 lives. Striking workers paralyzed the country's transportation network, grounding flights and halting sea and train services, adding to the day of national mourning and protest.
Two years later, the safety gaps that caused the crash have not been filled, an inquiry found on Thursday. A separate judicial investigation remains unfinished and no one has been convicted in the accident.
Mass demonstrations were planned in dozens of cities across the country. All international and domestic flights were grounded as air traffic controllers joined seafarers, train drivers, doctors, lawyers and teachers in a 24-hour general strike to pay tribute to the victims of the crash. Businesses were shut and theatres canceled performances.
By early morning, tens of thousands had gathered in Syntagma Square in the center of Athens, watched by police in riot gear. A sign read: “Government of murderers.”
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government, which won re-election after the crash in 2023, has faced repeated criticism by relatives of the victims for failing to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility.
The government denies wrongdoing and says it is up to the judiciary to investigate the accident. Friday’s protests reflected mounting anger over the disaster in Greece, where mistrust of government is common following a 2009-2018 debt crisis in which millions lost out on wages and pensions, and public services suffered from underfunding.”
In a Facebook post on Friday, Mitsotakis said his government would work to modernize the railway network and make it safer.” That night, we saw the ugliest face of the country in the national mirror,” he wrote of the night of the crash. “Fatal human errors met with chronic state inadequacies.”
Opposition parties have accused the government of covering up evidence and urged it to step down. Next week, parliament is expected to debate whether to set up a committee to investigate possible political responsibility in the disaster.
