Greek protest. Photo Machteld van Kempen. Text Machteld van Kempen
WUR is incredibly diverse, with hundreds of internationals working and studying here. In the Meanwhile In column, we ask one of them to comment on events in their home country. This time, Food Safety MSc student Athanasios Liampas (25) shares his thoughts about the Greek train crash and the student protests on 28 February.
‘This protest, which took place in Greece and other countries, was an initiative organized by a group of Greek students and non-students. It marks the anniversary of a train crash that happened in Greece two years ago on 28 February. The crash, a head-on collision between two trains, resulted in 57 deaths and 85 injured among nearly 350 passengers. Twenty-seven people died from the impact and 30 others from an explosion, probably caused by smuggled illegal substances transported via the Greek railways.
‘More than a decade ago, Greece co-signed a European agreement that allocated funds to install railway safety measures. However, these safety systems were never implemented. Just eight days before the crash, the Minister of Transportation falsely assured Parliament that the railways were safe and shamed those who expressed concerns. The former CEO of Hellenic Railways, the Greek railway company, later admitted that if these safety protocols had been in place, the crash would not have happened. After the accident, some suspicious events occurred: the crash site was disturbed and two key witnesses later died in traffic accidents. These incidents likely point to a government cover-up.
‘For the past two years, the families of the victims, especially the mothers, have fought for justice. Everybody sees these mothers as like their own family and feels their grief. Nobody has been held responsible for the death of their children. There has been no proper investigation and no person of importance has been blamed or prosecuted. It shows the systemic corruption in Greece. We need to raise awareness and we need to gain international support, because without it, nothing will change. People visiting Greece should understand the reality: you could board a train and never reach your destination. Our government is complicit in the murder of 57 people.’
