Greeks suffered police brutality as they took to the streets to demand accountability from the government over its role in the railroad tragedy
Following the devastating train crash in Greece that claimed the lives of over 50 people, people took to the streets to demand accountability from the government over its negligence and corruption.
MeRA25 spokesperson Erik Edman attended a demonstration in support of railway workers in Athens following the railroad tragedy and reported how he witnessed police brutality firsthand, with peaceful protesters attacked with stun grenades and teargas. Above all, he called for unity and persistence to denounce Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his government for their role in this tragedy.
“Immediately after the one-minute silence observed by thousands of people at Syntagma Square and hours after the prime minister’s hypocritical apology for his shameful attempt to use the stationmaster of Larissa as a scapegoat for the dire state of the railway network after a decade of monumental privatisations and devaluation, the government reacted to the people’s anger in its most familiar way: by unleashing the police in an organised bout of violence and repression.
“We witnessed widespread violence, where families and students, outraged by the loss of their children and fellow students, were hit with teargas and flares fired indiscriminately between us.
“The government has lost all measure in its attempt to cover up its disastrous management of the railways in particular and the Greek state in general.
“We denounce the asymmetric violence of the National Police, we demand that all those arrested be released and we call on citizens to unite their voices to oppose together the effort of repression and cover-up of the Mitsotakis government.
“Let them be under no illusion: chemicals and violence will not deter us. We will not stop until those in high positions are brought to justice and all citizens feel safe in their own country again.”
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