Overview

• Tens of thousands protested in Athens, Thessaloniki, and over 100 cities worldwide, with Athens hosting one of the largest demonstrations in recent years.
• The February 2023 crash involved a passenger train and a freight train on the same track, resulting in 57 deaths, many of them students, with delays in the investigation and trial sparking public outrage.
• Protesters allege that explosive chemicals on the freight train caused a fire that killed survivors of the initial collision, a claim supported by leaked reports funded by victims' families.
• Families of victims accuse the government of running an opaque investigation, deflecting blame onto a stationmaster, and failing to address systemic safety failures in the rail system.
• Clashes occurred during otherwise peaceful protests, with police using tear gas against demonstrators; banners and chants called for justice and condemned perceived political inaction.