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Tens of thousands of people across Greece and abroad took to the streets on Saturday to demand justice for the 57 victims of the country’s deadliest train disaster.
The massive demonstrations, which saw approximately 40,000 gather in Athens and 25,000 in Thessaloniki, marked the third anniversary of the 2023 head-on collision in the Vale of Tempe.
Most of the victims were young students returning from a holiday weekend, and their families continue to accuse the government of attempting to “bury” the truth and shield high-ranking officials from accountability.
The tragedy occurred when a passenger locomotive carrying 350 people struck a freight train after both had travelled on the same track for over 10 minutes without any alarms being triggered.
This failure exposed the dilapidated state of Greece’s railway security, despite receiving European Union grants intended for modernisation.
Families of the deceased have alleged that the investigation was deficient, noting that the crash site was bulldozed shortly after the accident, which they claim resulted in the loss of critical evidence.
Public anger remains high as a major trial involving nearly 40 defendants—including railway executives and the station master on duty—is set to begin on March 23.
While Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for an impartial trial and stated the tragedy “wounded all Greeks,” he has faced persistent criticism for initially blaming the crash on “tragic human error.”
Demonstrators on Saturday emphasised that they still do not feel safe using the national rail network and demanded that responsibility be assigned to everyone involved, regardless of their political standing.
The emotional weight of the disaster has also begun to shift Greece’s political landscape, with some victims’ families announcing plans to form new political parties to drive systemic change.
Although the protests were largely peaceful, clashes broke out in Athens toward the end of the day, leading to nearly a dozen arrests after riot police used tear gas and stun grenades against small groups of youths.
As the trial looms, the nation remains divided over whether the judicial process will truly hold the state’s leadership accountable.
