Police vs. protesters fought in Athens on Wednesday over the 2023 train crash which killed 57 people, majority of whom were students, representing Greece’s deadliest rail disaster.
Thousands of protesters first marched peacefully outside parliament, where legislators debated a no-confidence vote against the center-right government. Protesters paid tribute to the victims by releasing lanterns and candles in the shape of “57” before the violence broke out. Police dispersed protesters using tear gas as the city descended into chaos.
The no-confidence motion, scheduled for Friday, was tabled by opposition MPs who blamed Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ administration for ignoring railway safety, shirking responsibility, and covering up evidence for the tragedy. In spite of growing criticism, the government, which controls 156 of 300 seats in parliament, is likely to weather the motion.
Mitsotakis cautioned that political unrest would hurt Greece amid tough global circumstances. He vowed to renovate the rail network by 2027 and hire a foreign company for its maintenance. But many Greeks view the disaster as an emblem of years of infrastructure abandon.
As public fury mounts, additional protests are set before the vote. In the meantime, parliamentarians voted to open an investigation into the activities of Christos Triantopoulos, a previous minister who stands accused of mishandling the post-crash reaction. Triantopoulos quit his position as deputy civil protection minister in order for the inquiry to go forward, denying wrongdoing.
An autonomous body, the Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority (HARSIA), recently concluded that the accident was caused by continuing safety lapses. Investigators further indicated that incompetence and carelessness caused vital evidence from the site of the accident to be destroyed.
A court inquiry into the accident is scheduled to conclude this year, with victims’ relatives still clamoring for justice and political accountability.
