2023 Tempi train crash protest
Photo of Greek university students marching down a street holding a banner
Date1 March 2023 - 22 March 2023 (21 Days)
Location
Greece
Caused byTempi train crash, failure to modernize the rail network,
MethodsProtests, riots, strikes
Parties
Protestors (students, rail workers, general population)
Number
65,000[1]
est. 2,500,000 (not including school students)[2]
High school and university students marching in Egnatia street. Ahead, in the distance, the size of the crowd is visible (around 35000 people).

After the collision of two trains near Tempi, Greece[3] on 28 February 2023, protests broke out across Greece. Millions of people participated in vigils, protests, or riots in response to the perceived lack of safety measures.[4][5][6] Railway unions declared strikes in protest of Greece's government failing to modernize the rail system.[5][7][8] The protests are some of the largest in Greek history, comparable in size to those that took place in 2011 during the height of the Greek financial crisis.[9]

Timeline

On 1 March 2023, the first protests broke out in Athens and Thessaloniki. At the end of the Athens protest, when the demonstrators reached the Hellenic Train headquarters, fights broke out, with the police using tear gas against the crowd.[10][11]

On 2 March and in response to both the tragedy and the growing dissatisfaction of the industry in general, the Panhellenic Union of Railway Personnel walked out in protest of working conditions and the lack of modernization of the railway network, beginning their strike, despite the fact that the STASY subway workers union had called off the planned strike in the Athens subway out of respect for the victims of the previous day.[12] New protests were called in Athens and Thessaloniki on 2[13] and 3 March,[14] with new clashes between the protesters and the police on 3 March.[15]

On 5 March, protests in several cities and towns of Greece occurred. The protest in Athens, with a participation of 10,000 people according to the police,[16] was attacked by the police. Videos include police officers falling with motorcycles into the crowd, hitting and using teargas against peaceful protestors.[17] Solidarity protests occurred in other European cities, including Berlin and Copenhagen.[18]

On 7 March, students walked out of class, closing many schools in Thessaloniki, forcing schools to move to online classes via Webex for a couple of days. In Athens, students left 57 empty chairs outside the ministry of transport.[19]

The Confederation of Public Servants of Greece (ADEDY) called a 24-hour general strike for 8 March 2023. Coinciding with feminist demonstrations for the International Women's Day, large protests happened throughout Greece. In Thessaloniki, an estimated 60,000 people participated in the afternoon protest and 25,000 in the evening feminist march.[20]

Several smaller scale protests in various neighborhoods of Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras took place on Saturday 11 March.[21] New demonstrations occurred on 12 March.[22]

The General Confederation of Greek Workers, called a 24-hour general strike on 16 March, which turned into a demonstration of 30,000 people in Athens (according to the police)[23] and several smaller protests in other cities and towns. The protest in Athens, despite being peaceful, was attacked by the police.[24][23] There were cases of police brutality even against junior high school students.[25]

Here we can see a part of the giant protest that took place on Aristotelous square a week after the collision in Tempi.

References

  1. ↑ "Greece train crash: Pressure mounts on PM Mitsotakis' government". Le Monde.fr. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "Public Issue: 2,5 εκατ. πολίτες σε απεργίες και διαδηλώσεις για τα Τέμπη- Ρεκόρ 12ετίας | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  3. ↑ LIFO.gr, LIFO (1 March 2023). "Tempe train collision: A total of 354 on board the two trains". Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  4. ↑ Gatopoulos, Derek (3 March 2023). "Thousands march in Greece as anger builds over train deaths". AP News. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Greek unions protest over rail safety following train crash disaster". Euronews. 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  6. ↑ Beake, Nick; Davies, Alys (1 March 2023). "Greece train crash: Angry protests erupt after disaster". BBC. Larissa and London. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "Strike action on metro suspended due to deadly train crash". eKathimerini. 1 March 2023. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  8. ↑ "Greek rail workers strike over safety concerns as death toll in train tragedy tops 50". France24. 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Public Issue: 2,5 εκατ. πολίτες σε απεργίες και διαδηλώσεις για τα Τέμπη- Ρεκόρ 12ετίας | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  10. ↑ "Βίντεο από την καταστολή των διαδηλωτών - Νέες συγκεντρώσεις σήμερα". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  11. ↑ "Video: Death toll of Greece train collision rises to 43 | CNN". 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Greek unions protest over rail safety following train crash disaster | Euronews". 3 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "«Το αίμα των νεκρών θα σε κυνηγά» - Ποτάμι οργής στην Αθήνα". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  14. ↑ Κριεμπάρδη, Γεωργία (2023-03-03). "Συνεχίζονται οι συγκεντρώσεις διαμαρτυρίας στη χώρα - Στα Προπύλαια στις 18.30 το κάλεσμα για Αθήνα". The Press Project - Ειδήσεις, Αναλύσεις, Ραδιόφωνο, Τηλεόραση (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  15. ↑ "Χημικά και βία από τα ΜΑΤ - Διαλύουν τη συγκέντρωση οργής και πένθους". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  16. ↑ ""Οι ιδιωτικοποιήσεις δολοφονούν"". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 5 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  17. ↑ "Ντοκουμέντα από τα δολοφονικά χτυπήματα της ΕΛ.ΑΣ. στη διαδήλωση". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 6 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  18. ↑ "Διαδηλώσεις από την Κρήτη ώς τη Δανία". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 7 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  19. ↑ "Πενήντα επτά άδειες καρέκλες έξω από το υπουργείο Μεταφορών". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 7 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  20. ↑ "Ιστορικές συγκεντρώσεις στη Θεσσαλονίκη". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 8 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  21. ↑ "Με ηχηρή φωνή για το έγκλημα στα Τέμπη οι πορείες γειτονιές". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  22. ↑ "Ποτάμι οργής στους δρόμους της χώρας για το έγκλημα στα Τέμπη". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 12 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  23. 1 2 "Η ΕΛ.ΑΣ. προκαλεί, παρά τα εξοργιστικά ντοκουμέντα αστυνομικής βίας". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 16 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  24. ↑ "Αστυνομική επίθεση -ξανά- σε ειρηνικούς διαδηλωτές". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 16 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  25. ↑ "Χημικά και ξύλο σε μαθητές γυμνασίου!". www.dimokratia.gr (in Greek). 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
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