Mitsotakis Acknowledges Tempi Protests, Pledges Reform

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged the record-breaking demonstrations and national strike about theTempi tragedy in his weekly social media post.

“On Friday, our democracy proved its strength. It is a sign of great social sensitivity that so many of our compatriots, of all ages, chose to take to the streets and squares and express their feelings in a peaceful manner,” Mitsotakis stated.

The protests gathered around 200 thousand attendees in Athens alone, with tens of thousands more in cities all across Greece. In Athens, in speeches projected on a megatron, parents of the victims called for justice, and spoke of rage. “Our pain has spilt over and become momentum,” stated Maria Karystianou, the mother of one of the victims, and president of a group representing families of victims. “We realize the depth of this rot. Every day the specter of corrupt power appears before us.”

Two years after the train crash that killed 57 people, many of them students, the judicial investigation has not concluded. There have been growing allegations of a cover-up regarding the forensic analysis, or lack thereof at the crash site. A recent state inquiry concluded the crash occurred due to a web of systemic issues, many of which have not been rectified since the crash.

Demonstrators on Friday often chanted that the government was “murderers” or turned to the façade of Parliament and shouted the imperative, “Quit now!”

In his social media post Mitsotakis once again called for trust in the judicial process, stating, “I appeal again [for us] to trust it and allow it to do its work unbiasedly. In a rule of law, it alone has the responsibility, the authority, and the ability to shed light on a case that has so hurt us. Neither the parties, nor the people’s courts.”

This urging comes in light of a recent poll which found that over 80% of Greeks do not believe in their justice system.

Regarding governance, he said, “Greece cannot operate with half-measures and improvisation. With a system that reacts only after the worst has happened, that waits for crises to mobilize. The State has a duty to anticipate, not to run behind developments. A collective responsibility, but above all my own.”

Mitsotakis focused on improving the safety of the rails: “The finding has revealed a situation far from what we want. Our infrastructure must be made modern and safe. Because what has been done in recent years is not enough. And we know it.”

“The Greek Railways must become the new symbol of this battle,” he stated. “With proper infrastructure, new trains, strict safety rules that will be dutifully observed. It will take some time before the government plan, which has already begun, is completed. But surely, its first stage will be a complete and safe Athens-Thessaloniki line by 2027. And this is a personal commitment.”

He concluded with a pledge: “Not to forget Tempi. But also never to experience it again.”

An off-the-agenda debate into the Tempi rail disaster will be held in Parliament on March 5.

Source: Tovima.com