Protests "paralyze" Greece - Citizens demand justice two years after the accident that caused 57 fatalities
Greek workers have gone on strike, halting flights, shipping and trains across Greece. People rose up to protest a lack of justice two years after the country's worst train accident, which killed 57 people.
A passenger train packed with students collided with a freight train on February 28, 2023, near the Tempi Gorge in central Greece. Two years later, the safety issues that caused the crash have yet to be revealed. A separate judicial investigation remains ongoing and no one has been convicted over the accident.
This has added to the anger of many in Greece, where distrust of the government has spread after a 2009-2018 debt crisis in which millions lost wages and pensions, while public services suffered from inadequate funding.
All international and domestic flights were halted as air traffic controllers joined sailors, train drivers, doctors, lawyers and teachers in a 24-hour general strike to honour the crash victims.
Across the country, businesses closed, theaters canceled performances and early in the morning, thousands of people gathered in the capital's central Syntagma square.
The names of those killed have been painted red on the ground in front of the parliament building, while banners read "Government of murderers."
On the outskirts of the city, groups of all ages headed for the city center with signs reading "I have no oxygen," a slogan that echoes the last words of a woman who was calling for emergency services.
In a poll conducted this week, 82% of Greeks questioned said the train disaster was "one of the most important" or "most important" issues in the country and 66% said they were dissatisfied with the investigation into the accident.
The center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was confirmed for re-election after being ousted in 2023, has faced repeated criticism from victims' families for the lack of a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility. The government says it is up to judicial authorities to investigate the accident.
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