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A violent clash between police and a group of protesters marked the big protest this Thursday (16) in Athens. At least 40,000 Greeks took to the streets to voice their anger over the railway disaster that left 57 dead, on a day when the country is largely paralyzed by a general strike.
For the second time in two weeks, a large demonstration took place in front of Parliament in Athens on Thursday, as other protests took place across the country. In the capital alone, the official numbers account for 25,000 people on the streets.
This time, however, the posters of indignation against the conditions of the railways and public services of the demonstrations gave way to images of fire and confrontation with the police in the center of Athens.
A group of protesters threw Molotov cocktails at the police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Some protesters set trash cans on fire and smashed shop windows.
Your profit, our lives
In addition to the protest in front of Parliament, there was a demonstration in front of the headquarters of the railway company Hellenic Train. “Either your profits, or our lives,” wrote one protester outside the building, which is under police security.
“Assassins!” screamed young students, like some of the victims of the February accident.
There was also a demonstration in Salonica, the second largest city in the north of the country, where more than 8,000 people took part in a march.
A wave of indignation has gripped the country since a head-on collision between two trains traveling on the same railway line killed 57 people on the night of February 28.
Greece is practically paralyzed in a 24-hour general strike against the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Most public transport in Athens is at a standstill, there is no sea connection between the mainland and the country’s islands and most flights have been cancelled.
‘Enough’ of the crisis generation
In addition to the rail disaster that shook the country, the Greeks show their frustration with the deterioration of public services in a country that has been going through a crisis for years, faced with fiscal austerity policies.
Protesters are calling for the government to be held accountable and for the resignation of Prime Minister Mitsotakis, in power since 2019.
The liberal daily Kathimerini, in its latest editorial, referred to the movement as the revolt of the “bankruptcy and pandemic generation”.
(With information from AFP)