Mass protests across Greece to demand justice for Tempe train crash victims

Tens of thousands of Greeks have taken to the streets in 110 cities, including 13 locations abroad, to demand justice for the 57 victims of the country’s deadliest rail disaster in 2023.

The largest marches on Sunday took place in Greece’s two biggest cities, Athens and Thessaloniki. In London, about 500 people demonstrated outside the Greek Embassy in the Holland Park neighbourhood. More protests were staged in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brussels, Belgium; Berlin and Cologne, Germany; Helsinki, Finland; London, United Kingdom; Nicosia, Cyprus; Reykjavik, Iceland; and Valletta, Malta.

The protesters called to demonstrate by victims’ relatives held banners and signs reading “I have no oxygen”, a phrase uttered by a victim, still alive, who called the 112 European emergency number to report the incident on the night of February 28, 2023, when a northbound passenger train collided near Tempe in central Greece with a southbound freight train, which had been placed mistakenly on the same track.

The demonstrators accused the government of hiding significant evidence, running an opaque investigation and trying to blame the disaster on a stationmaster’s bad decisions.

Many believe that at least 30 of the 57 victims survived the initial impact only to die in a fire started not by the high-speed crash but, allegedly, by dangerous chemicals transported by the freight train. Some have accused the government of trying to hide that chemicals were on board.

The government denies the allegations.

A lengthy investigation and delays by technical experts in producing reports about what caused the fire after the crash have pushed back a trial date. Greek media have reported that it is possible a trial could begin in the coming months if there are no further delays. It is estimated that 50-60 railway and other officials will be put on trial.