ATHENS – Tens of thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens and cities across the country on Saturday, February 28, to mark the anniversary of the 2023 rail tragedy at Tempi — the deadliest train disaster in Greece’s history — demanding justice as a major criminal trial approaches.
Public life was disrupted as trains and ferries were halted and urban transport services were suspended, with workers joining nationwide demonstrations. Outside Parliament in Athens, protesters laid flowers and held banners reading “Justice,” while the names of the 57 victims — most of them university students — were spray-painted in red on the pavement.
The victims lost their lives when a passenger train collided head-on with a freight train near Tempi in central Greece.
The catastrophe has become a powerful symbol of systemic failings, including long-standing safety deficiencies and chronic underinvestment in the country’s rail network.
Fueled by widespread mistrust of political leaders — who are largely protected from prosecution under Greek law — last year’s anniversary protests were among the largest seen in Greece in recent years.
On Saturday, thousands of police officers were deployed in the capital, while solidarity demonstrations were also held in cities abroad.
“We seek one thing: Justice,” said Pavlos Aslanidis, head of the victims’ relatives association, addressing the crowd.
A judicial investigation concluded earlier this year, and dozens of non-political figures are scheduled to stand trial on March 23. Charges range from disrupting transport leading to fatalities to negligent manslaughter and causing bodily harm.
Protesters are calling not only for convictions but for sweeping reforms and political accountability. “It wasn’t an accident, it was murder,” read one banner held aloft in Athens.
Investigations revealed that a European Union co-funded rail safety project launched in 2014 — aimed at installing modern signaling and safety systems — remained years behind schedule at the time of the crash in 2023. Families of the victims have also accused authorities of attempting to conceal or mishandle evidence in the aftermath.
The centre-right government denies wrongdoing, maintaining that the judicial process will clarify responsibility. Officials have pledged comprehensive railway reforms by 2027.
Source: Reuters