Several hundred thousand people demonstrated in Athens, demanding justice for the Tempe railway disaster, two years after the train collision that claimed the lives of 57 people.

All major roads around Parliament were flooded with people. The rally, which lasted over two hours and was the largest in recent memory, concluded with an emotional speech by the president of the Tempe Victims’ Association, Maria Karystianou.

There was also a strong presence of young people, including students and pupils.

The rally began at around 11 a.m. in a largely shut-down city, as the vast majority of businesses in the city center remained closed.

After the speeches ended, clashes broke out between hooded individuals and the police. Authorities made 125 detentions, 57 of which resulted in formal arrests.

As a result of the unrest, 29 people sought first aid at hospitals in the city center for minor injuries and respiratory problems.

Moreover, members of the anarchist group Rouvikonas entered the offices of Hellenic Train and climbed onto the roof, hanging a banner that read “Murderers.”

Student representatives were the first to speak at the demonstration, as the majority of the victims were young people.

Fellow students of some Tempe victims read aloud the names of the 57 people who died in the disaster. After each name, the entire crowd in the square shouted “Present,” concluding with the chant “Immortals.”

Vassilis Zavogiannis, a representative of the railway workers’ union, along with OSE drivers’ representative Dimitris Kotsiaftis, expressed their support for the victims’ families in their fight for swift justice. They also reiterated the demand for safer transportation and modernized railways.

The most emotional moments came when the victims’ parents took the stage.

Ilias Papaggelis, father of 19-year-old student Anastasia, said:

“We ask for justice, for more oxygen, to get out of the darkness and into the light. For more transparency and for everything to be done safely and correctly. That we never have another Tempe again.”

Pavlos Aslanidis, father of 26-year-old Dimitris, called for the rule of law to be upheld.

“It is a day of remembrance. We honor the victims, and the message is that we must finally establish the rule of law so that such mass murders never happen again,” he said.

All the victims’ relatives made special mention of the injured who remain hospitalized (81 people were seriously injured that night) and the survivors still struggling with the psychological trauma of this tragic event.

Despite the massive gathering, order was maintained. The crowd booed small groups attempting to disrupt the rally with acts of violence.

There was also significant participation in rallies organized in major cities across Greece, including Thessaloniki, Patras, Hania and Iraklio.

Thousands of demonstrators also took to the streets in Ioannina, Rhodes, Volos, Larissa, Lamia, Zakynthos, Rethymno, Trikala, Karditsa, Chios, Mytilene, Samos, eastern Macedonia and Xanthi.

Source: Ekathimerini.com