In Greece’s capital, Athens, and the northern city of Thessaloniki, fierce clashes occurred on Friday as demonstrators launched gasoline bombs and flares outside the national parliament. This commotion unfolded during a debate centered around a censure motion against the current administration regarding its response to a catastrophic train accident that happened two years ago. Police responded to the aggressive mob by deploying tear gas, stuns grenades, and water cannons soon after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis began his speech, which marked the conclusion of the three-day discussion. The government managed to withstand the censure motion, emerging with a 157-136 victory. Prior to the vote, activists from the visitor’s gallery caused a stir by scattering leaflets onto lawmakers but were subsequently removed by security personnel.
Concurrently, similar scenes of unrest took place in Thessaloniki. The center-right government, led by Prime Minister Mitsotakis, was under scrutiny because of the fatal train collision in 2023 that claimed the lives of 57 individuals and resulted in numerous injuries.
These protests were a part of a larger series of demonstrations, marking the third in a week, and coinciding with the second anniversary of the tragic collision on February 28, 2023, near Tempe in northern Greece. Notably, four opposition parties, spanning center-left and left-wing, rallied together to introduce the censure motion, contending that the government failed to assume responsibility for the known and numerous lapses in rail safety systems uncovered by investigations.
Addressing the parliament, Nikos Androulakis, leader of the Socialist opposition, criticized the Prime Minister directly, stating, “You want to hide the criminal responsibility of the government for the Tempe tragedy. No Greek citizen will forgive your unacceptable behavior.” Despite this significant public dissatisfaction regarding the rail failure, opposition factions have found it challenging to harness and convert this unrest into political momentum.
In his defense, Prime Minister Mitsotakis accused his adversaries of executing a political maneuver, acknowledging that witnessing the aftermath of the accident was “the most difficult moment of my life.” Many relatives of the crash victims joined the Friday protests, expressing their appreciation towards those supporting their cause.
“We will stand with everyone who has the strength to raise their voices for the people, and we thank them very much,” said Chrysoula Chlorou, a protester whose sister, Vasso, was one of the 2023 crash victims, during a demonstration in Larissa.
