With large protests anticipated on February 28, marking two years since the Tempi train collision that claimed 57 lives, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recognized the public’s demand for truth while emphasizing the need to allow justice to take its course.
“Many of our fellow citizens will gather in squares across the country to honor the memory of the victims. They will send a clear message that the truth must prevail and the guilty must be held accountable. They will demand safe public transportation from the state,” Mitsotakis told his cabinet on Wednesday, highlighting the government’s responsibility to ensure that everyone can exercise their right to free expression.
Mitsotakis: Tempi disaster used by some for political gains
However, Mitsotakis cautioned that “some seek to turn this collective mourning into an opportunity for further division. They aim to exploit the pain of the victims for their own political objectives.”
“We have a duty to prevent any questioning of our internal stability,” he added, noting that the country had paid a ‘high price’ for divisions during the bailout period. “Those who see Friday as a turning point for violent upheaval will find us standing in opposition.”
In conclusion, the prime minister delivered a message of unity, stating, “We are here to bring Greeks together: both the protesters and those who will quietly commemorate the anniversary.”
Upheaval in Greece on the second anniversary of Tempi disaster
His critics and opponents aren’t buying his story. Former prime minister Antonis Samaras, who has broken with Mitsotakis, criticized the government’s handling of the tragedy, stating that families of victims have the right to know the truth and see those responsible held accountable. “The government must not be in conflict with grieving families and citizens showing solidarity,” Samaras told the Huffington Post.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said there will not be clashes with families of the victims as a survey showed more than 70 percent of Greeks don’t believe what they’ve been told about the cause, and reports that safety equipment hadn’t been fully implemented.
“We have not and will not do so,” he said about a hands-off approach to complaints from the families and added that the government supports the right to a peaceful protest, Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias saying some New Democracy voters will be among the demonstrators.
Opposition targets government “cover-up”
Major opposition PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis said he wants another parliamentary investigation although the New Democracy majority meant it could control the narrative or keep it under wraps.
SYRIZA’s leader Sokratis Famellos stated that party members will participate in the protests as citizens, without party symbols and wants an investigation into former deputy minister Christos Triantopoulos, and could bring a No Confidence vote that government lawmakers could defeat.
SYRIZA’s former leader and one-time premier Alexis Tsipras said Misotakis is the one using the tragedy politically.
“The reactions, protests, denunciations, and the massive popular movement of recent weeks represent the exact opposite of destabilization. They embody a powerful public demand for justice, democracy, and ultimately, democratic stability—a resounding and decisive ‘ENOUGH’ against the systematic distortion, dismantling, and destabilization imposed without pretense by the Mitsotakis government, which is deliberately fueling social division to maintain its grip on power,” Tsipras wrote in in Efimerida ton Syntakton newspaper.
“The widespread and largely spontaneous nature of this movement unsettles those who seek to cover up the truth. It compels them to discredit public outrage with divisive rhetoric and inflammatory arguments while unleashing a wave of intimidation to suppress or weaken the rising tide of dissent,” he said.
“But what do the victims’ families and millions of citizens across the country demand? Justice, truth, and accountability. Who, in their right mind, could call this destabilization? And who, on the other hand, cannot see that the government’s actions in recent times have already led to instability? Because undermining institutions and the justice system through a demonstrably systematic cover-up of the Tempi tragedy is, in itself, an act of destabilization,” he said.
Related: Flights Cancelled Ahead of 24-Hour Strike in Greece
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!
