©AFP
More than two weeks after the major train accident in Greece, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the capital Athens on Thursday to protest. A strike also shuts down a large part of public transport.
gjsSource: BELGA
Various manifestations take place in the center of the Greek capital. There are also clashes between the police and some of the demonstrators near the parliament. Protesters threw Molotov cocktails at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Garbage cans are set on fire and shop windows are smashed near the university.
Demonstrators had also gathered at the headquarters of the Hellenic Train railway company around noon. Among other things, “murderers” were shouted.
The university city of Thessaloniki, where many victims of the train disaster came from, is also the scene of new protests on Thursday. “We will not stop taking to the streets until those responsible for this tragedy are punished,” says philosophy student Zoe Konstantinidou.
Public transport
Meanwhile, a large part of public transport in Greece is also flat due to a strike from the trade unions. Rail traffic is also affected. All boats connecting the mainland to the islands remain docked for 24 hours. Most aircraft also remain on the tarmac.
A head-on collision between two trains killed 57 people in Greece on February 28. Larisa’s station master had sent a train on the wrong track. But research shows that the neglected rail infrastructure and the political inability to address this are also at the root of the disaster.