Peaceful Tempi protesters returned outside the Greek Parliament on Friday afternoon, after the riots “moved” away from Syntagma Square. However, the peaceful protest, the second on the day, did not last long, as police tried to disperse the crowd with water cannons.
🔴 Απρόκλητη επίθεση της Αστυνομίας στις 16:15 με Αύρα, χημικά και κρότου λάμψης, με σκοπό να διαλύσει τους διαδηλωτές που είχαν μείνει στο Σύνταγμα. Για αρκετή ώρα οι διαδηλωτές απλώς κάθονταν και φώναζαν «Παραιτήσου», χωρίς να γίνει καμία κίνηση προς την Αστυνομία.
📽️ Μάνος… pic.twitter.com/j1hnyFDwHW
— NEWS 24/7 (@News247gr) February 28, 2025
The first group arrived and crossed Syntagma Square around 2:30 pm with the hands raised as a sign of surrender while they walked in front of riot police quads. They shouted “Resign!” and called on police to join them.
The group grew bigger and approached the Parliament shouting “Murderers! Murderers!” and urged the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to “Resign!”
Slowly but gradually the crowd grew bigger and there is now (3:40 p.m.) quite a large number of protesters holding banners. At some point, there was tension when some protesters threw objects at riot police squads, but soon the atmosphere calmed down, state broadcaster ERT reported.
The protesters remained peacefully, when suddenly at 4:15 and without any reason, two police water canons appeared and throwing water with big pressure tried to disperse the crowd.
I saw Live Footage on TV showing young and old protesters walking away with their hands raised to demonstrate they had no Molotov cocktail bombs or other items.
All journalists reporting Live, speak of a “peaceful demonstration” insisting that there were no incidents or any reason to deploy water canons.
Soon, protesters returned to the Parliament and started to shout non-stop “Murderers! Murderers!” and “Justice!” for the 57 victims of the train crash in Tempi. They insist that they will remain outside the Parliament.
At 7 p.m. Police fired tear gas to have the last protesters away from the Parliament.
picture via cnngreece.gr
Earlier, short after the big protest to commemorate the train victims concluded riots broke out in downtown Athens and also on Syggroy Avenue where the headquarters of Hellenic Train is located.
Pictures via cnn greece
Clashes took place also in Thessaloniki and Heraklio, Crete.
Injured protesters on Friday morning
In Athens, 5 people were hospitalized with after they were beaten in the head, hands and legs. Another 25 received First Aid on the spot and were treated for injuries due to tear gas or panic attacks.
Seven protesters protesters and two riot police officers with burning wounds sought First Aid at the health facility of the Parliament.
A young woman suffered a panic attack and was taken with an ambulance to a hospital, while a young man with a head wound was taken to hospital in police escort as he has been detained.
The people have spoken their voices should be heard.😢
what nonesense that you call that ‘peaceful’. there is nothing peaceful about a molotov cocktail, or disgracing the tomb of the unknown soldier.
the incidents started AFTER the event concluded and those with molotov cocktail had nothing to do with the peaceful protesters. they are the usual “known-unknown” who create usual troubles
A peaceful protest should not be treated in this way. Democracy