Sunday’s mass protests, held across Greece to demand justice for the victims of the 2023 Tempi rail disaster, have spurred left-of-center opposition parties to explore the possibility of united action against the conservative New Democracy government.
On Sunday afternoon, SYRIZA leader Sokratis Famellos reached out to main opposition PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, New Left leader Alexis Haritsis, and Course of Freedom chief Zoe Konstantopoulou to discuss coordinated efforts. All four party leaders participated in the protest held at Syntagma Square.
Government accused of cover-up on Tempi disaster
Famellos, who has accused the conservative government of orchestrating a cover-up, proposed submitting a formal request for a parliamentary debate on the issue.
“Prime Minister Mitsotakis will come to Parliament to give an explanation to the Greek people,” Famellos said.
“What we experienced in Syntagma square (in Athens) and saw, yesterday, throughout Greece and abroad, has unprecedented characteristics and sent a resounding message,” Famellos said in an interview with SKAI radio on Monday, referring to the rallies for the Tempi train crash.
“The citizens expressed anguish and indignation over the lack of justice and transparency in Greece. This is very crucial when it is articulated as social opposition. Because (Prime Minister Kyriakos) Mitsotakis’ responsibility for the attempt to cover up the crime at Tempi has become established within Greek society,” he underlined and referred to SYRIZA-PA’s initiative “to coordinate with all progressive parties against the cover-up plan”, which he said was SYRIZA’s “response” to this “social demand”.
On Monday, Androulakis reaffirmed PASOK’s commitment to uncovering the truth behind the crash, which claimed 57 lives. “Any new evidence that emerges regarding the Tempi case will be met with the appropriate parliamentary initiatives from our side,” he said.
Androulakis also criticized state broadcaster ERT for its limited coverage of Sunday’s demonstrations. Representatives of ERT workers had previously condemned the broadcaster’s “shameful tactics” after dedicating only two-and-a-half minutes to the protests, aired 37 minutes into the noon news bulletin. ERT management denied the allegations, maintaining that the coverage was in line with editorial guidelines.
Haunting soundbites from the train disaster
The latest wave of demonstrations was triggered by the recent publication of haunting soundbites from the 112 emergency helpline, where victims trapped in the derailed passenger train after the crash with a freight train are heard calling for help, saying they are running out of oxygen and striving to breathe.
Citizens of all ages and backgrounds rallied with the motto “Den Echo Oxygono” (“I have no oxygen”), one of the most characteristic phrases of the victims heard in the shocking helpline recordings from the disaster.
The content of the recordings, matched with a recent scientific report by a top Greek university, have rekindled the debate about the possible existence of a potentially illegal and highly flammable chemical cargo in the second train, whose fireball explosion -seen in videos of the scene- could be what killed as many as 30 survivors of the initial collision impact in the first coach of the passenger train.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
