The mass mobilizations that took place today in Athens as part of the 24-hour strike declared by ADEDY, the Athens Labor Center, PAME, Labor Centers and Federations of the private and public sector, on the occasion of the completion of one year since the train accident in Tempi, have been completed.
Shortly after 11 a.m ADEDY , labor unions and organizations with a central slogan “our lives above their profits, real wage increases and not mock increases” initially gathered in Claithmonos Square. The large strike gathering began with a minute’s silence for the 57 dead from the train accident in Tempi.
“Today our strike has a twofold goal. One is that it is one year since the crime in Tempe and we are here as we were last year to give a speech of honor, that we will not allow this crime to be forgotten and that those responsible, however high they may be, be held accountable. Second reason is that the working world cannot survive on these wages and the accuracy that exists. All the workers in the public and private sector are starting a battle today. The battle of the social opposition against the policies pursued by the government, saying that it has reached this point, we can’t stand it anymore”, said the member of the ADEDY Executive Committee, Dimitris Bratis.
ADEDY, as it states in its announcement, claims, among other things, “life with rights, work with real increases and not increases – a mockery of 1.5 euros a day, substantial measures to deal with punctuality”. At the same time, ADEDY demands that those responsible for Tempi be held accountable.
Afterwards, the protesters marched to the Parliament.
Arriving in front of the Parliament protesters and protestors they wrote in red paint in front of the monument to the ‘Unknown Soldier’ the names and ages of the 57 dead from the train accident in Tempi.
Shortly after 14.00 episodes took place in front of the Parliament when a group of unknown people threw Molotov cocktails at the police forces, who responded by using chemicals.
The tension then moved to the junction of Panepistimiou and Themistokleous streets, with the police once again using chemicals, while “Aiantas”, the water cannon of ELAS, also attempted to attack the scene. A little later minor incidents occurred near the Polytechnic.
Additional protestors from primary unions who had gathered in Hauteia headed shortly before 15.00 to the offices of Hellenic Train. Those gathered in their attempt to pass the police cordon clashed with the police forces who pushed them back using chemicals.
At the same time, dozens of unions, federations, labor centers and unions held a large strike gathering in Propylaia with the central slogan “Either their profits or our lives”. The large strike gathering in Propylaia began with a minute’s silence for the 57 dead from the train accident in Tempi. The demonstrators marched to the offices of Hellenic Train and then wrote “Our lives” at the junction of Sygrou and Petmeza streets.
The politicians found on the march
Among the crowd of people present at today’s gathering, there were also many politicians who “attended” the march.
Among them the president of SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis, Sokratis Famouslos, Panos Skourletis, Marilisa Xenogiannakopoulou and Olga Gerovasili. In addition, the mayor of Athens, Harry Doukasparticipated in the gathering.
“Blood-stained” flag in Thessaloniki
Thousands of citizens were in the center of Thessaloniki, marching for the one-year black anniversary of Tempi.
The march of students, young people, workers and pensioners, among others, started from Egnatia, at the height of the statue of Venizelos, headed west, moved through the main streets of the city and reached the New Railway Station.
The incidents in Thessaloniki began shortly after 1:15 p.m., when the bloc of anti-authoritarians arrived outside the New Railway Station of Thessaloniki, on Monastiriou Street, where they clashed with MAT forces.
Hooded men threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at police forces, who responded with stun grenades and the use of chemicals.
A red-painted Greek flag symbolizing the blood of the victims of the deadly train collision in Tempi catches the eye outside the New Thessaloniki Railway Station.
“Blood flows, revenge is sought”, shout students on the march outside the OSE.
Wreaths were placed outside the railway station in memory of the 57 victims, while inside the building citizens left flowers and lit candles.
Excitement in OSE Square in Larissa
The grand gathering in Larissa ended at OSE square at noon. The unveiling of the monument took place there, as announced by the Labor Center of Larissa.
A plaque dedicated to the 57 victims, most of them young, who were unjustly lost overnight, with the inscription “Defend the child, because if the child is saved there is hope”.
Particular emotion prevailed during the song “I turn my back to the future”, while a banner with the names of the deceased was raised.
The Prime Minister’s message
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a statement on the occasion of the black anniversary of the Tempe tragedy.
The entire Mitsotakis message:
One year after the tragedy of Tempe, the wounds from the loss of its victims remain fresh, with the Golgotha of their own people always difficult and uphill. It is true that time froze, at that time, when the place collided head-on with its worst self. It went off the rails, buckling under the weight of a hidden reality. And, in an instant, he saw the past produce the unthinkable in the present.
On such a day, sadness cannot be painted with party colors. And respect for suffering requires maturity and prudence. In overcoming this national trauma, time will not be an ally. It may, however, offer some relief when all the causes of the evil are brought to light. When all doubt is cleared. When even the most absurd rumors are disproved. And, above all, when the guilty are punished. And that will happen.
The House examined dozens of witnesses with hundreds of pieces of evidence, investigating how human error met fatally with the state’s timeless loopholes. But it also does not cease to be a political institution. That is why only Justice is the one that will shed light on the case, as we all want. He is already moving quickly and to the highest degree, calling the first of those to account. I have complete confidence in her and I am sure she will rise to the occasion. The truth, then, is not late. Just as the state’s efforts to cure its own serious deficiencies are not taking long.
We welcome, therefore, the sad anniversary, bowing our heads in memory of the 57 innocents we lost and the ordeal of the wounded. Thinking of the families, who have every right to make their pain a protest. However, first the government and the political system we must distinguish behind the tragedy a collective failure. To find its trunk and branches and boldly uproot it, not divided, but united.
Our mission is to turn pain into action. So that the organizations that serve the citizen operate safely, consistently and professionally. The State should not remain a prisoner of the bureaucracy, which delays critical projects. And the courts to decide in a timely manner, especially for cases that concern society.
As Prime Minister, as a citizen, but also as a father, I participate in the mourning of the homeland. And I repeat the commitment that the country will continue on the path of constant vigilance and progress. Changing the state and improving everyday life. Without compromises with today’s mistakes and overturning yesterday’s pathogens. Until “never again” becomes a slogan, finally, a reality.
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