Thousands of citizens took to the streets of Athens, Thessaloniki and other major Greek cities on Wednesday to commemorate the 57 victims of the train collision disaster in Tempi a year ago, to demand “justice” and the end of cover up attempts from the side of the government.
Protesters spray paint “Our Lives” on the road outside the headquarters of Hellenic Train on the anniversary of the Tempi rail disaster.
Protesters write down the names of the victims in front of the Parliament in downtown Athens.
Tempi tragedy site
At the same time, relatives and friends of the victims gathered at the tragedy site with fresh flowers and candles in their hands, pictures and wreaths, tears in their eyes and their peace of mind lost forever.
Addressing the politicians and all those in charge, a mother who lost her twin daughters and a nice in the train crash told media:“Enough with apologies and we’re sorry. They should assume responsibility. We’ll chase them till the last beat of our hearts.”
“Our home became a graveyard and the graveyard our second home,” said the mother of a 20-year-old victim.
Mitsotakis’ message angers people
In his televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his conviction that those responsible would be held accountable.
He admitted that “as a government and political system, we must acknowledge the collective failure behind this tragedy” and added that “our hearts go out to the families, who rightly express their sorrow,” Mitsotakis said.
