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2025-02-28 Europe
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Greece: Hundreds of thousands take to the streets and battle with police firing stun grenades and tear gas
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| The Greeks and the French do love their protests. In France it’s always Communists/Antifa running amok; in Greece it’s Communists/Anarchists. Either way, the violent ones freely swim in the sea of mostly peaceful protesters. On alternate days the same violent protesters have been fussing about Israel genociding Hamas. |
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] … as Greece marks second anniversary of train crash seen as a symbol of institutional failure
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in cities across Greece to mark the second anniversary of a horror train collision that claimed the lives of 57 people.
Protests were planned in more than 300 cities and towns in Greece and abroad, with fury levied at the government for its perceived inaction over the tragedy, in which a passenger train filled with students collided with a freight train in central Greece.
A huge peaceful contingent made up of thousands of Greeks marched towards the parliament building in a moment of rare alignment across the political spectrum for Greeks incensed by the crash, deemed a symbol of institutional failure.
Children and adults alike walked solemnly in remembrance of the victims. Demonstrations were overshadowed by a small minority of rioters, who clashed with police in the capital. Greeks marching today said the rioters were 'not accepted' by the majority.
Riot police fired volleys of tear gas and stun grenades into crowds in Athens as some protestors smashed paving stones and hurled Molotov cocktails into open areas. More than 5,000 officers are being deployed to the capital to manage potential unrest.
The ambulance service said five people were taken to hospital, including a photographer hit in the head by one of the grenades.
Protests and a general strike were led by relatives of the 57 victims, who also urged focus on remembrance rather than politics. Large processions moved respectfully through Athens and Thessaloniki in what one called 'the most important day in our recent history by far'.
Critics of the government say that politicians must be held accountable for the failures that led up to the crash in Tempe. So far only rail officials have been charged with any crimes.
'The full truth must come to light, and those responsible, no matter how high their position, must be held accountable,' said Yannis Panagopoulos, president of the General Confederation of Greek Workers, the country's largest labor union, which has backed Friday's strike.
Transport employees added pressure on the conservative Mitsotakis government with a 24-hour train strike, a nationwide air traffic control strike, a ferry strike and a taxi strike.
Private businesses and public services have also been affected, with many stores in Athens closed, leaving messages of solidarity for the victims' families in front windows.
Protesters in Athens, chanting 'You count profits. We count lives,' carried black balloons in a solemn moment for a grieving country.
Greek diaspora told MailOnline today that a protest was also planned to take place in Paris this evening, starting at the Place de la République.
One said that they expected to join a peaceful silent protest, and that they were opposed the use of party political tactics.
'For me it's wrong to do anything like that,' the protestor, who wished to remain anonymous, told MailOnline.
'We are there to honor the people who died and to express our frustration with the justice system. Anything else is political and lesser.'
Greeks distanced themselves from the actions of a small minority of rioters, stressing hundreds of thousands - if not millions - had turned out to honour the dead and claim justice.
Athens municipal worker Costas Reintzopoulos said the rail crash had highlighted longstanding demands for safer working conditions.
Eleven of the people who died at the Tempe disaster were railway employees.
'Every day, there is a demand to know the truth about what happened, and every day there is demand to for better safety measures in the workplace. That is a key reason why this remains relevant,' he said.
'We don't want to mourn more dead people, who leave in the morning to go to work and we don't know if they'll come back.'
Memorial services will be held at Orthodox churches in Athens for the victims, who included many university students returning from a long weekend.
Their families have urged protesters to keep the focus on remembrance rather than politics.
'This day is one of remembrance, respect and reflection,' an association representing the families said in a statement.
'It is dedicated to those who were unjustly lost, to the grieving families, and to the pursuit of justice that remains unresolved.'
Yet the protests have created a politically precarious moment for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' government.
His conservatives maintain a strong lead in the polls, but public dissatisfaction over the Tempe disaster has led to surging support for anti-establishment parties on both the left and right.
Opposition leaders, who are struggling to gain traction, are weighing whether to put forward a censure motion.
Mitsotakis promised to continue work to improve rail safety, adding: 'Every Greek participates in this mourning, united under the common demand for truth.'
Human error and systemic failures blamed for the Tempe crash.
One of the protestors hoping to take part in the planned demonstration in Paris this evening said: 'People will be on the streets to protest peacefully, demanding justice for the victims of the incident and accountability for the political figures that not only did not secure the railways with the funds they had from the European Commission already to do exactly that, but that also intervened with the crime scene only a few days after the fact with bulldozers and gravel compilation.'
Fury has been fuelled by allegations of the government's interference with the investigation.
Debris was removed from the scene after the crash, leading to the destruction of evidence.
A long-awaited report on the investigation into the Tempe crash, released Thursday, blamed human error, outdated infrastructure and major systemic failures for the head-on collision.
The aftermath was marked by scenes of chaos, with surviving passengers describing tumbling carriages, fires and smashed windows as they scrambled to escape.
It was followed by the gruesome task of victim recovery and identification as many bodies were severely burned or dismembered.
Funerals were held across numerous communities throughout Greece, many streamed or broadcast live, turning private grief into a shared national experience.
Hours after the collision, Maria Krystianou rushed to the scene of the tragedy to search for her missing daughter, 21-year-old Maria-Thomai, as the train cars still smoldered.
After a two-day wait, Maria-Thomai's death was finally confirmed with a DNA match.
Krystianou, a 52-year-old pediatrician, has since become a leading figure in the campaign to hold politicians to account for the crash.
This week she publicly thanked unions and associations that joined the protests, including doctors at public hospitals, and lawyers and judges who will hold a minute's silence in courts Friday.
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Posted by Skidmark 2025-02-28 09:36||
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File under: Mob Rule
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Posted by Procopius2k 2025-02-28 13:43||
2025-02-28 13:43||
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