In Athens, protesters and police battled in front of the Greek parliament amid continued anti-government demonstrations.
Outside the Greek parliament in Athens, clashes broke out between police and a number of protesters on the fringes of a demonstration by thousands of students and railway workers over the most recent fatal train accident in Greece.
Protesters Burn Trash Cans, Fire Bombs At Police
Syntagma Square was rapidly cleared by tear gas and stun grenades. Protesters scattered onto the neighboring streets. According to police, 12,000 individuals demanded accountability for Tuesday’s head-on collision in Larissa.
A passenger train carrying more than 350 individuals collided with a freight train on the same track in central Greece, resulting in at least 57 fatalities and dozens of injuries.
Following three days of nationwide demonstrations, 10,000 students, rail employees, and left-leaning groups gathered in Athens’ Syntagma Square to mourn the deceased and demand improved rail safety.
After an extended holiday weekend, the Athens-Thessaloniki train was packed with college students. After the accident, anger, and safety concerns followed.
Read more: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposes $1.5 billion in tax cuts
Greece Train Crash
Since Wednesday, railway workers who lost colleagues in the accident have been on rotating strike to protest cost-cutting and underinvestment in train infrastructure, a legacy of Greece’s chronic fiscal crisis from 2010 to 2018.
The government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis attributed the disaster to human error. Mitsotakis stressed on Sunday that maintenance of the train network should not be hindered by human mistakes.
This week, a station master in Larissa who was on duty at the time of the accident was charged with endangering human life and hindering public transportation.
In reaction to new information surrounding the case, the station master, who by Greek law cannot be identified, appeared before a judge on Sunday. They persist.
Due to the delay in implementing a remote monitoring and signaling system, rail worker unions assert that network-wide safety measures have been inadequate for years. They wanted a timeframe for the safety protocol from the government.
Greece will soon announce the action and has requested advice on train safety from the European Commission and other organizations. Metro and train service was disrupted by strikes.
Read more: TikTok to impose one-hour daily screen-time for teens to prevent binges
