A look back at the anger in Greece, after the train collision which left 57 dead, including many students. Demonstrations follow one another in the country, and there are often clashes with the police.
To draw up an inventory of the tension in Greece, after the train accident of February 28, José-Manuel Lamarque receives MariTo DenaxadayGreek alist. She talks about how this tragedy shook the whole country.
franceinfo: Why are the Greeks so angry?
Maria Denaxa : We are talking about 57 dead, and an unknown number of missing people that the Greek government is trying to hide. This tragedy comes after years of warnings from railway workers about the dangerousness of the rail network. The authorities dohave not reacted sufficiently to secure and modernize rail in Greece. They had 7 billion euros to do so. Or East spend that money ? Worse, they knew the poor state of the network since they recently adopted an amendment which provides that, in the event of an accident, the families of victims will not be compensated. The rulers therefore knew that, sooner or later, such a tragedy would occur.
This drama reveals–you–it the shortcomings of the Greek state since the 2009 crisis with the rescue programs of the troika (European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund)?
Of course, this disaster brings Greece back to the worst years of the financial crisis, between 2009 and 2018, when many budget cuts were made in the public sector, for example the railway networks. The Greek government has a responsibility, as does the European Union, in demanding thee dismantling and privatization of the railways. We have seen in recent days Mrs. Ursula we last Leyen give advice to the Greek government to resolvere the problems that Europe has itselfcreated by the policies imposed on us. So the railways were sold to an Italian company which, as we speak, never settled down. The whereabouts of those responsible are not known. It’s a real shame.
For example, the station manager of Larissa, where this tragic accident took place, was not a railway worker and he was barely trained?
It’s true, il was placed there while he was working At ministry ofand Education. That person-there had no experience to hold such a job, gold she there was put by a clientelism of political parties.
The legislative elections have been postponed until next May. What do the Greeks expect from it?
Nothing, it’s over for them. This is why demonstrations are multiplying everywhere. People won’t vote, they don’t know anymore whom to vote for, they have lost all confidence in the political class and in the European Union. No party, neither of the right nor of the left, will be able to be effective and solve the serious problems that Greece is experiencing.
No personality stands out ? Everyone is In the same basket, for the Greeks?
Although some tried to come up with something to get out of it, the system will do everything to drown them out. We don’t know who or what hang on to save the country, to save us–same. There is really great anger towards the Greek leaders and towards Europe. Many of my fellow citizens dream of reacting like the French to the pension reform, of mobilizing en masse, telling themselves that this is the example to follow.