(ATHENS) Thousands of people demonstrated in Greece on Sunday following the country’s deadliest train crash, increasing pressure on the government.
Some 5,000 protesters gathered in Athens and a similar number took to the streets in Thessaloniki, the country’s second largest city, according to the police count.
In the capital, protesters occupied Syntagma Square, near Parliament, with banners reading “We will not forget, we will not forgive” and “We will be the voices of all the dead”.
“It was anger and rage that brought me here,” said Markella, a 65-year-old living in Athens who declined to be named.
“We are desperate. We don’t know what to say, what to do, all we can do is participate in the demonstration,” said Alexandros, 26, also on condition of anonymity.
The collision between two trains which occurred on February 28 in Tempé, about 350 km north of Athens, claimed the lives of 57 people.
Four railway officials are being prosecuted following this accident, which has highlighted the chronic problems of the Greek railway network.
The accident, which affected mostly young people, sparked massive protests against the Conservative government as a general election looms before July.
The biggest demonstration took place on Wednesday, with 65,000 people taking to the streets to demand accountability from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
His resignation was demanded by protesters. He had been criticized for initially pointing to “human error” due to a station master, one of the four employees prosecuted.
But the unions have long warned of the lack of personnel in the railways and the delays in the modernization of safety systems.
Greece’s transport minister resigned after the crash and Mr Mitsotakis sought to assuage public anger by repeatedly apologizing and promising a transparent investigation.
For weeks, the Greek press has been buzzing with rumors about the date of the ballot, April 9 being so far the most often chosen by observers. But most analysts now believe that the elections should be held later, perhaps at the end of May.