Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for unity and cautioned against the political exploitation of the upcoming protests commemorating the anniversary of the Tempe railway disaster.
Speaking to his cabinet on Wednesday, Mitsotakis emphasized the importance of honoring the victims respectfully, while warning that political manipulation and division could undermine the nation’s stability.
“Many citizens will gather to honor the victims, demanding truth, accountability, and safer public transportation,” he asserted, underscoring the government’s duty to uphold the right to free expression.
Mitsotakis warned against attempts to use the collective mourning for political gain, stating, “Some aim to leverage the victims’ pain for their own agendas.”
He stressed the necessity of safeguarding internal stability, reflecting on past national divisions during the bailout period. “We will oppose any efforts to incite violence on Friday,” he declared.
Concluding his address, Mitsotakis delivered a message of unity, affirming the government’s commitment to uniting all Greeks, including both those participating in the protests and those observing the anniversary privately.
The February 28, 2023, crash resulted in 57 fatalities, and ongoing investigations are probing allegations of a government cover-up.
Air, sea and train transport will be halted as workers will join a 24-hour strike called by labour unions to demand justice for the victims of the head-on collision of a freight train and a passenger train just before midnight on Feb. 28, 2023.
Two years on, a judicial investigation is still underway over the exact cause of the crash on a line linking Athens with Greece’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki. Tens of thousands of Greeks held angry protests last month, asking the government to identify and punish the culprits.
Mass demonstrations are planned in dozens of Greek cities on Friday to pay tribute to the 57 people, mostly students, who were killed in the country’s worst railway disaster.
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