Greece: 2023 train crash still fueling protests
Tens of thousands across Greece took to the streets to demand justice for the victims of the Tempi train crash on Sunday. A team of experts commissioned by the bereaved has uncovered new evidence that almost half of the 57 people who died in the crash were not killed by the collision but by an explosion caused by flammable liquids which one of the two trains was transporting. The media look at why criticism of the way the accident has been handled continues?
Greeks close to boiling point
The Mitsotakis government should take these protests seriously, writes the left-leaning news site TVXS:
“It has not understood that the millions who have demonstrated in 180 cities across the country and abroad are not just mourning the dead passengers: they are angry about the miserable state of the country and the government policies that are making it even worse. ... The protests are reminiscent of the demonstrations in December 2008 following the murder of Alexandros Grigoropoulos. They reveal, as was the case back then, a society in turmoil. It may be that the weakness of the opposition and the control that the government exerts over most of the media keep the lid on the boiling pot for now. But sooner or later, a society that lacks oxygen will boil over.”
A task for the judiciary, not the people
The pro-government website Liberal sees party interests behind the protests:
“There are big gaps regarding Tempi that have not yet been filled. It is the task of the judiciary to find answers to these open questions. Not ours, not the government's and not the opposition's either. And in order for the questions to be answered, the proceedings must be conducted quickly. Without adjournments and appeals. And we should all remember not to blackmail the judiciary. ... Tempi has been chosen by some as a field of confrontation with the government. That alone is despicable.”