Memorial events, protests and nationwide strikes are bringing Greece to a standstill on Friday over the alleged cover-up of the Tempi train disaster on February 28, 2023 that claimed the lives of 57 people.
Public transport, airplanes, schools and courts ― even supermarkets, shops, cafés, theaters, bars and clubs ― will close their doors, while huge demonstrations are expected to paralyze the country.
A total of 5,000 officers will be deployed, and aerial surveillance will be provided by helicopters and drones, which will transmit live footage to the central operations center in Athens. Demonstrations have been scheduled in over 300 cities across Greece and internationally.
Protests in Greece over Tempi
The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) is demanding accountability for the disaster, improved transport safety, and the protection of public services. It has expressed full support for the Association of the Victims’ Families and is calling on all citizens to join the protests.
To facilitate participation, GSEE and the Civil Servants’ Confederation have declared a 24-hour strike. Numerous professional and social groups are joining, including the Panhellenic Maritime Federation, railway workers, air traffic controllers, taxi drivers, lawyers, teachers, doctors, merchants, artists and students.
Police estimate that the rally in Athens will be one of the largest in recent years, with participants of all ages.
According to opinion polls, the vast majority of Greeks believe the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is attempting to cover up what really happened, and who was really to blame, when a freight train and a passenger train packed with students crashed head. There is speculation ― neither proved nor entirely disproven ― that highly flammable chemicals were being transported.
Possible flammable substance at Tempi collision
An expert report released just a day before its second anniversary confirmed concerns that an “unknown” substance may have contributed to a massive explosion and the loss of life.
The report by Greece’s National Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Organization (EODASAAM). “With the existing evidence [it] is impossible to determine what exactly caused [the deadly fireball], but simulations and expert reports indicate the possible presence of a hitherto unknown fuel,” the report says.
The pressure became intense in January after audio recordings from inside the train were leaked. The evidence indicated that some victims had survived the impact and may have died due to asphyxiation or burns from a massive explosion and fireball that ripped through the carriages. It included a young woman’s last words ― “I have no oxygen” ― in a call to emergency services.
The report also confirmed concerns that interventions made at the scene of the accident compromised the discovery of “vital information” and hampered investigations into the crash.
The decision to move the crashed cars and other debris from the site to a secondary location is believed to have contributed to the loss of critical information.
In addition, the hardcore placed over the debris may have extinguished traces of liquids and materials that contributed to a post-collision explosion. The explosion is believed to have killed some of the victims who initially survived the crash.
Two years on, a trial has yet to even begin amid constant delays in the investigation. Greeks have lost trust in their country’s judicial system, the surveys say, while the government denies any wrongdoing.
Beyond Greece Protests, Mitsotakis faces a no-confidence motion
The main opposition, the center-left PASOK, said it would file a no-confidence motion in parliament against the government. Its leader Nikos Androulakis pointed out the report’s reference to the alterations made at the site of the crash after the accident, which did not allow experts to determine what type of fuel caused the huge fireball that erupted during the crash.
“Some people in those critical hours, without any orders from justice, went and had a meeting and decided to alter the site. Isn’t this a cover-up and withholding of evidence?…For two years, the prime minister and New Democracy’s officials mocked the Greek people, misled them about a very crucial issue, showing that, in fact, they did everything they could to hide their political responsibilities. Why is the fuel unknown?” Androulakis said.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis ruled out the possibility of early elections and accused PASOK of opportunism and attempting to exploit the tragedy for electoral gain.
Related: Mitsotakis Calls on Tempi Train Tragedy Protesters to Wait for Justice
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