Greece: Massive Protests Against Mitsotakis and Train Accident

On Sunday, thousands of Greeks took to the streets in Athens to criticize Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whom they hold responsible for the railway accident that left 57 dead on Feb. 28.

RELATED:

Death Toll From Greece Train Crash Rises to 57

"Your police cost lives" and "murderous government" were some of the phrases that Greeks placed on banners during the fifth day of protests, which broke out after two trains traveling on the same track collided with each other near Larissa.

Protests in front of Parliament turned violent when police fired stun grenades and tear gas at people who were heading towards the offices of Hellenic Train. Some protesters set garbage containers on fire and threw Molotov cocktails.

On Sunday, Mitsotakis asked all Greeks for "a great forgiveness" and acknowledged the lack of safety measures and automated control systems on the rail network.

"We cannot, we do not want to and we must not hide behind human error," Mitsotakis said. Previously, however, his administration blamed the accident only on the Larisa stationmaster.

During a testimony before the Prosecutor's Office, the stationmaster acknowledged that he put the passenger train on the same track as a freight convoy coming in the opposite direction.

Although the Hellenic Train railways are operated by the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane company, the railway infrastructures and security systems depend on the state company OSE.

Therefore, this accident might have a high political cost for New Democracy, Mitsotakis's conservative party, ahead of the general elections scheduled for spring.