Greece has been paralyzed by protests and workers' strikes. Sea and air transport were halted on Friday in reaction to the Greek justice system's failure to uncover the truth two years after the country's worst train accident that killed 57 people.
A passenger train packed with students collided with a freight train on February 28, 2023, near the Tempi gorge in central Greece. Two years later, safety gaps that caused the crash have not been filled, an investigation found on Thursday. The incident has angered many in Greece, where distrust of the government is widespread after the 2009-2018 debt crisis, in which millions lost wages and pensions, and public services suffered from underfunding, A2 CNN reports.
"We feel anger. It is the anger that prevails over the fact that 57 souls lost their lives unjustly, for the benefit of a few. That is why we are here today," said student protester Nina Nifakou.
All international and domestic flights were grounded as air traffic controllers joined sailors, train drivers, doctors, lawyers and teachers in a 24-hour general strike to honor the crash victims. Across the country, businesses closed, theaters canceled performances and early in the morning, thousands of people began gathering in the capital's central Syntagma square under the watchful eye of riot police. One sign read: "Government of murderers," A2 CNN reports.
"We want to send the message to the government and employers that we will no longer tolerate going to work and not knowing if we will return home alive," says Giorgos Stefanakis, a protester, according to A2 CNN.
The names of those killed were painted red on the ground in front of the parliament building. On the outskirts of the city, groups of all ages marched towards the city centre with banners reading "I have no oxygen", a protest slogan that echoes the last words of a woman in a call to emergency services. Many students went to class wearing black, a symbol of mourning. (A2 Televizion)
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