ATHENS – Greece’s parliament on Saturday rejected a no-confidence motion brought against Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government over its handling of the country’s worst rail disaster in 2023.
Following days of acrimonious debates and mass protests, the chamber’s deputies voted against the motion, brought by the main opposition socialist Pasok party, by 157 to 136 lawmakers.
On Wednesday, about 8,000 people gathered in front of parliament and more than 300,000 people across the country took part in demonstrations last week to mark the second anniversary of the train crash in which 57 people died. Friday afternoon saw further demonstrations as more than 3,000 students and young people, according to a police estimate, gathered in central Athens, with the city centre closed to traffic. “No cover-up”, said one banner. “To breathe, we will overthrow them” declared another. Communist union Pame also called for a march later Friday. Police dispersed previous demonstrations with tear gas and stun grenades after protesters set fire to bins and threw firebombs.
The rail disaster occurred on February 28, 2023, when a train from Athens to Thessaloniki carrying more than 350 passengers collided with a freight train in Tempi, central Greece.
The two trains ran towards each other on the same track for miles without triggering alarms. The accident was blamed on faulty equipment and human error.
