Nationwide Protests Paralyze Greece, Hundreds Injured in Clashes with Police

Nationwide Protests Paralyze Greece, Hundreds Injured in Clashes with Police

Athens, March 1, 2025 – In Greece, a nationwide general strike and massive protests were held on the second anniversary of the country's deadliest train crash, with thousands of people taking to the streets in Athens and other cities. Protesters threw petrol bombs and set fire to trash cans to express their outrage. On February 28, 2023, a passenger train collided with a freight train in central Greece, killing 57 people, many of whom were students. The incident has become a symbol of the country’s infrastructure neglect and the government’s long-standing indifference.

In Athens, protesters chanted "murderers" and voiced their anger against the government. In Greece’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, protesters blocked main roads and released black balloons into the sky to honor the dead.

In Athens’ Syntagma Square, protesters wrote the names of the victims in red on the ground, while the slogan "I have no oxygen" echoed through the crowd. Some hooded youths threw petrol bombs at the police and attempted to storm the parliament building's barricades. In response, police used water cannons and tear gas, and clashes spread into surrounding neighborhoods.

The government has refused to take political responsibility for the accident. However, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that his government would work to modernize the railway network and improve safety measures.

A general strike was held across the country, with air traffic controllers, seafarers, train drivers, doctors, and teachers joining the protest.

Protesters said they have been waiting for justice for two years and are demanding accountability for the government’s negligence. Relatives of the victims have voiced their anger against the government, saying, "This was not an accident, it was murder."