ATHENS, February 28. /TASS/. More than 200,000 people participated in a mass rally outside the Greek Parliament, organized by the families of the victims of a major railroad disaster that took place in 2023, according to estimates from the Greek website sdna.gr.
The portal says that even conservative estimates by the police suggest that 180,000 to 200,000 people participated in the rally at Syntagma Square. When including those who gathered in the surrounding streets, the total number of demonstrators could exceed 300,000. Many attendees brought their children and carried posters calling for a thorough investigation into the catastrophe and the punishment of those responsible.
Rallies in Athens and dozens of other Greek cities marked the second anniversary of the tragic disaster. On the night of February 28-March 1, 2023, a devastating crash occurred when an Athens-Thessaloniki passenger train collided with a freight train in the municipality of Tempi. The collision resulted in the deaths of 57 people, with dozens more injured.
The investigation into the tragedy is still ongoing. Opposition parties and many citizens believe that authorities are covering up a mystery involving "an unknown combustible substance illegally transported in the freight train," which is thought to have caused the fire and explosion at the moment of collision, as captured on video. Greek Government Spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, commenting on the 178-page report by experts from the National Organization for the Investigation of Air and Railway Accidents (EODASAAM), stated that the document did not indicate any kind of cover-up by the authorities. Marinakis also pointed out that the report highlighted significant issues, such as deficiencies in the railroad system, staff shortages, and underfunding, and emphasized that it is now up to the justice system to assess all of these matters.
Clashes with the police
The rallies in Athens and Thessaloniki, which began peacefully, escalated when protesters hurled Molotov cocktails and stones at the police. In response, riot officers deployed stun grenades and tear gas. In Athens, the situation intensified when attackers breached a fence outside the parliament. During the rally, peaceful participants had to be evacuated to the parliament compound. They were later escorted out through a separate entrance. According to police reports, 84 people were detained in pre-rally inspections in central Athens, with 41 of them being placed under arrest. Molotov cocktails, pieces of marble, iron bars, and an axe were among the items discovered by authorities. Five individuals were hospitalized after the incidents in Syntagma Square, most suffering from respiratory distress. Orestis Panayiotou, a photographer of the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, was injured when a flash grenade struck him in the head. An ambulance doctor, who arrived on a motorcycle, administered first aid. Panayiotou is expected to be transferred to the hospital soon.