New protests hit Greece over prepare tragedy

ATHENS: Hundreds of demonstrators staged recent protests in Greece on Sunday as anger grows over the nation’s deadliest rail crash, ratcheting up stress on the federal government over the tragedy.

Protesters flooded Athens’ Syntagma Sq. in entrance of parliament, waving banners that learn “We received’t overlook, we received’t forgive” and “We are going to change into the voice of all of the useless”.

Fifty-seven folks, lots of them college students, had been killed when a passenger prepare and freight prepare collided head-on in central Greece on February 28.

4 railway officers have been charged however public anger has targeted on long-running mismanagement of the community, and the nation has been rocked by a collection of generally violent mass protests.

On Sunday greater than 8,000 demonstrators gathered exterior parliament whereas 5,000 took to the streets of the second metropolis Thessaloniki, police stated.

“It was anger and rage that introduced me right here,” Markella, a 65-year-old Athens protester who gave just one identify, instructed AFP.

One other demonstrator, 26-year-old Alexandros, added: “We’re getting determined. You don’t know what to say, what to do — all you are able to do is be a part of the protest.”

The rallies got here in response to calls from varied our bodies, from commerce unions to political teams, to take to the streets.

The largest protests over the crash to this point got here on Wednesday when tens of 1000’s demonstrated nationwide, with clashes erupting, whereas staff staged strikes.

Private and non-private sector staff are anticipated to stroll out once more Thursday.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who’s combating to be re-elected inside months, has confronted calls from some protesters to stop.

He has come underneath hearth for initially pointing to “human error” for the accident, and blaming the stationmaster on responsibility on the time who allegedly routed the trains onto the identical stretch of monitor by chance.

However railway unions had lengthy been warning about issues on the creaking, understaffed prepare community.

The stationmaster is among the many 4 railway officers who’ve been charged.

Greece’s transport minister resigned after the crash, and Mitsotakis has sought to appease public anger by repeatedly apologising and vowing a clear probe.

Nationwide elections look set to be delayed from April, after they had been extensively anticipated, with hypothesis they might happen in late Might.