Thousands of protesters gathered in Syntagma Square in central Athens on Sunday. The Greek police’s own assessment is that around 12,000 people sought the area in front of the parliament, at the request of students and railway employees.
– What has happened is a serious crime. Greeks have been murdered. The government must say why. Someone has to pay, says 25-year-old Alexis Pappas during one of the protests The Guardian.
When some protesters set trash cans on fire and threw Molotov cocktails, police responded with tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds, according to the AP news agency.
Asking for forgiveness
Train and subway traffic in the capital is at a standstill, paralyzed by widespread strikes following the worst train tragedy in the country’s history. On Friday, the first victims of the tragedy, which claimed the lives of at least 57 people, were buried. Of the 66 who were taken to hospital, more than half are still receiving care.
Earlier on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is hoping to be re-elected later this year, asked the victims’ families for forgiveness.
“As prime minister, it is my duty to ask everyone, but especially the families of the victims, for forgiveness,” he writes in a message addressed to the nation.
Train crews have sounded the alarm for years
The suspect who has been arrested and admitted some responsibility for the fatal train accident in Greece is expected to appear in court on Sunday. Saturday’s planned questioning of the 59-year-old stint was postponed 24 hours after new evidence emerged.
Although he made some concessions, many believe it is the fault of the system, which would never have placed such responsibility on a single individual to begin with.
Unions for railway workers have been raising the alarm for years about the safety of the Greek railways, which have long been considered the deadliest in Europe.