Tens of thousands of people gathered in Athens and other cities on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the 2023 Tempi train crash, Greece’s deadliest rail disaster, demanding justice ahead of a criminal trial set to begin on March 23.
Trains, ferries and urban transport were disrupted as workers joined the demonstrations.
Protesters laid flowers and held banners reading “Justice” outside Parliament, where the names of the 57 victims – mostly students – were spray-painted in red.
The victims died when a passenger train and a freight train collided head-on in central Greece.
The disaster has become a symbol of state failings, including safety lapses and years of rail neglect.
“We seek one thing: Justice,” said Pavlos Aslanidis, head of the victims’ relatives association. Another banner read: “It wasn’t an accident, it was murder.”
A judicial investigation concluded this year, with dozens of non-politicians to face charges ranging from traffic disruption leading to deaths to negligent manslaughter and bodily harm.
Probes found an EU co-funded safety systems project launched in 2014 was years behind schedule in 2023, while relatives have accused authorities of attempting a cover-up.
The government denies wrongdoing, saying justice will clarify the case and pledging full railway reform by 2027.
Source: Ekathimerini.
