The first anniversary of Greece’s teach crisis in Tempe at the twenty eighth February used to be marked via violent protests and popular moves throughout trains, ferries and public shipping.
On the twenty eighth of February ultimate 12 months Greece used to be left mourning when when a passenger teach sporting 350 other folks collided with a freight teach running at the identical monitor.
The two trains had been running at prime velocity sooner than they crashed into every different, with the entrance carriages bursting into flames upon affect. Only one younger guy used to be rescued from the worst impacted carriages, who stays in medical institution.
The teach crash, the deadliest within the country’s historical past, induced 3 days of mourning and national protests.
A 12 months later, the streets of Athens are filled with demonstrators arguing that the continuing inquiry has slightly supplied justice for the sufferers’ households or crammed the gaps in an unsafe shipping device.
Protesters accumulated out of doors the Greek Parliament in Athens chanted ‘murderers, murderers’, as they wrote the names of the sufferers at the floor in pink paint. Similar protests in Thessaloniki, the rustic’s second-largest town, resulted in rebellion police the use of tear fuel as protesters threw stones and molotov cocktails.
Daphne Tolis, a contract manufacturer who lives in Athens, used to be with the 20,000 individuals who marched in the course of the town centre, with some heading against the central places of work of Hellenic Train.
“Anger is likely one of the primary emotions felt around the Greeks as everyone knows, roughly, the pathogenies of the Greek state, it’s one thing often mentioned amongst us. But anger builds up when justice isn’t served and the rustic’s lawmakers aren’t known as to account and proceed to experience immunity from prosecution just because they’re contributors of the Greek Parliament,” she told Euronews.
According to Greek law, MPs are immune from external prosecution, and potential misconduct can only be investigated by the Parliament. Critics hold the government partially responsible for the tragedy, criticising its lack of investment in the transportation system, which they note was missing essential safety features required by European Union law.
For some, the crash is intrinsically linked to the privatisation of Greece’s state rail company, parts of which were sold off to Italian firm Ferrovie dello Stato during the country’s debt crisis. Several argue that the consequences of this sale meant that the safety of passengers was demoted in priority and features of the rail network that ensured safety were subsequently underfunded.
Alongside protests, the umbrella union of civil servants ADEDY, representing half a million state employees, called on the public sector to strike on Wednesday. Other trade unions also organised strike action, leading to clashes between protesters and police officers in the Greek capital.
Posting on X, social media users expressed frustration with what they see as a lack of justice for the 57 victims, most of whom were university students.
The Greek government has implied that the trial following a year-long inquiry will start in June. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, in a statement marking the anniversary, ‘It may, however, offer some relief when all the causes of the evil are brought to light. When all doubts are dispelled. When even the most absurd rumours are disproved. And, above all, when the guilty are punished. And that will happen”.
Currently, 34 railway staff, together with the stationmaster on accountability when the 2 trains collided, had been detained.
Many of the family members of the sufferers have voiced their mistrust within the legitimate investigation and feature commissioned their very own investigators who argue that, amongst different issues, the freight teach concerned within the crash used to be sporting unlawful shipment.
The Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) which operates Greece’s railway community claims the community’s protection has been enhanced with the set up of 300 infrared cameras in tunnels because the crash and it is making growth on enforcing protection methods, although they recognize extra enhancements are nonetheless wanted.
