Train derailment in Greece: Thousands take to the streets in angry protests
Key points
- The train derailment occurred on 28 February when a freight train collided head-on with a passenger train, killing 57 people.
- More than 65,000 demonstrators took to the streets across the country to protest the train derailment near downtown Larissa.
- 40,000 people took to the streets of Athens waving banners reading “This is not an accident, this is a crime.”
The biggest protests were in Athens, where more than 40,000 people took to the streets waving banners reading “This is not an accident, this is a crime” and “Either of us could have been on this train.”
More than 65,000 demonstrators took to the streets across the country to protest the train derailment near downtown Larisa, police said.
A fireman pours water on a burning car after clashes between demonstrators and riot police during a protest in defense of the victims of a train accident in central Athens. The biggest protests were in Athens, where more than 40,000 people took to the streets waving banners reading “This is not an accident, this is a crime” and “Either of us could have been on this train.” Source: AARP / Petros Yannakouris
“I’m here to pay my respects to the dead, but also to express my anger and frustration,” Niki Siuta, a 54-year-old civil engineer, a protester in Athens, told AFP. “This government must go.”
Fifteen people were arrested in Athens for violence related to the demonstrations.
Government employees leave
Many protesters waved signs reading “Call me when you get there,” a rallying call to demonstrators that reportedly comes from a phone conversation between a mother and her son shortly before he died in a plane crash.
Critics say he was inexperienced and left to work alone during the busy holiday season and accuse officials of failing to implement online security reforms.
A crane clears debris as firefighters and rescue workers work after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometers north of Athens, near the city of Larissa, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Source: AARP / Vaggelis Kusioras
Focus on train safety
On Wednesday, Mr Mitsotakis met with EU officials, including the executive director of the bloc’s railway agency and the European Commission’s land transport director, who were invited to Athens, the prime minister’s office said.
Political life will resume on Thursday at a cabinet meeting after a period of national mourning, but the prime minister appears to be in no hurry to decide on the upcoming elections.