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Key Points
- The train crash occurred on 28 February when a freight train crashed head-on with a passenger train, killing 57.
- More than 65,000 demonstrators took to the streets nationwide to protest the train crash near the central city of Larissa.
- 40,000 people flooded the streets of Athens, waving banners that read “It’s not an accident, it’s a crime”.
The biggest protests were in Athens, where over 40,000 people flooded the streets, waving banners that read “It’s not an accident, it’s a crime” and “It could have been any of us on that train”.
More than 65,000 demonstrators took to the streets nationwide to protest the train crash near the central city of Larissa, according to police.
A firefighter sprays water on fire of a vehicle after clashes between demonstrators and riot police during a protest for victims of a rail disaster, in central Athens. The biggest protests were in Athens, where over 40,000 people flooded the streets, waving banners that read “It’s not an accident, it’s a crime” and “It could have been any of us on that train”. Source: AAP / Petros Giannakouris
“I am here to pay tribute to the dead but also to express my anger and my frustration,” Athens protester Niki Siouta, a 54-year-old civil engineer, told AFP. “This government must go.”
Fifteen people were arrested in Athens for violence related to the demonstrations.
Civil servants walk out
Many protesters waved signs reading “Call me when you get there”, a rallying cry for demonstrators which reportedly originates from a phone call between a mother and her son shortly before he died in the crash.
Critics say he was inexperienced and was left working alone during a busy holiday period, and accuse officials of failing to pursue safety reforms on the network.
A crane removes debris as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Thursday, 2 March, 2023. Source: AAP / Vaggelis Kousioras
Train safety focus
On Wednesday, Mr Mitsotakis met EU officials including the executive director of the bloc’s rail agency and the European Commission’s director for land transport who were invited to Athens, the premier’s office said.
Political life will resume Thursday with a cabinet meeting after a period of national mourning, but the premier seems in no rush to confront the issue of the looming polls.
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