Two years of horror near Tempi: Do they hide something in Greece?
It could have been their children
Two years later, the relatives of the victims and the Greek public are still waiting for answers. People want clarity and justice. But about 80 percent of the Greeks are convinced that the government is trying to cover everything – its negligence in repairing defective 2019 signaling systems, delays in investing for new security technologies with European money, and even the appointment of a 60 -year -old supporter of the ruling party as head of the Larissa station.
Lack of information and concealing problems
The government flatly denies the allegations of concealing something. But this is not particularly convincing, because the causes of the incident will probably never be revealed. The responsible authorities did not make sure to immediately provide records from the monitoring cameras or to make the necessary autopsies. In addition, about 300 cubic meters of soil were removed immediately after the collision and the area was filled with gravel. This means that it can no longer be proven whether the freight train, which has encountered the passenger, has carried an illegal, flammable material that may have caused the explosion.
« We will not forget, we will not forgive »
On January 26, 2025, hundreds of thousands of people in Athens, Thessaloniki and one hundred other cities in the country protested demands for justice for the victims of the crash. The reason for the demonstrations was the spread of an audio recording, which proved that about 30 of the 57 victims had not died on the spot and could have been rescued. The relatives of the victims demanded a protest, and the spontaneous reaction of citizens was impressive – the largest demonstration in Greece was held for over ten years. « We will not forget, we will not forgive, » people shouted on the streets.
Fear of civil response
However, Mitsotakis shortly after that changed his strategy. Encouraged by his party's low ratings (currently around 22% approval), he decided that he would return to the sharper tone. In a new interview with Kathimerini newspaper, he criticized anyone who does not trust the judiciary and defended the courts. « Some people want to turn us into a jungle, » Mitsotakis said, accusing the opposition of « instrumentalizing » the tragedy.
This Friday, however, not opposition parties are calling for protest. People follow the request of the relatives of the dead and will protest for justice they will raise their voice and against the unacceptable way the government refers to the incident. The ruling party again denied the allegations and advised people not to participate in the demonstrations. On social networks, even a poster appeared with the message « I will not go to the protest, I believe in the judicial system ».
