Revolutions happen when the people band together against a corrupt government and demand change. Greece came to an utter standstill over the weekend after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to demand answers on the second anniversary of the nation’s deadliest rail disaster. It is hard to imagine the sheer magnitude of these protests, which are believed to be the largest in modern Greek history.
All flights were suspended. Transportation services were unavailable. Public services came to an abrupt halt as everyone took to the streets. Political affiliation, race, gender, sex, religion, and every other category that governments use to divide the people were forgotten for a brief moment in Greek history as everyone banded together against the government. This is precisely what governments fear—the people acknowledging that the government rather than their neighbor is the problem.
For context, the tragic accident happened on February 28, 2023, after a passenger train struck a freight train head-on near Thessaloniki, claiming the lives of 57 people. No one has been prosecuted, and the people of Greece strongly believe that the government worked to cover up the true causes of the crash. Two years of near silence from the government caused tensions to boil until civil unrest became inevitable.
The Greek people are demanding transparency and accountability from their government NOW. Some believe that the train may have been carrying illegal flammable cargo, and 30 of the 57 victims, mostly young students, may have survived the initial crash only to burn alive in the fire that erupted shortly after. Not only should the railway officials be held accountable, but the political figures who have hindered any real investigation must answer to the people.
“We don’t forget, we don’t forgive,” one sign read, according to Reuters. “Justice, not forgetting,” another read. Protestors in Athens wrote the names of the victims in red on the streets. Another sign read, “Privatizations kill,” and many people chanted, “I HAVE NO OXYGEN!” to honor one victim’s final phone call to emergency services before being consumed by the fires.
Protests were also held at over 100 Greek embassies and consulates internationally. A map of protests across six continents was published on Google for all to see. Some believe over 430,000 people took to the streets of Athens alone. The entire nation came to a halt as everyone joined forces to demand answers from their government. And guess what? The government was forced to answer to the people. As a reminder, elected officials are supposed to SERVE THE PEOPLE who they elected to represent them rather than their own self interests, but we rarely see that occur.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis initially blamed human error for the crash and almost dismissed the events, citing that the justice system would properly handle the matter in time. His tune has since changed. He is acknowledging that his administration has been in the wrong. “The citizens demanded the obvious: truth and justice for the victims, a state that takes action to ensure such a tragedy is never repeated, and safe and modern public transport,” the prime minister stated, later adding, “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.”
This brilliant historical call for justice shows the strength of the people as a collective. There is a reason this is not a top news story worldwide. If the people were not divided, they would realize that governments are pinning us against one another for a reason. They attempt to shield us from the truth, silence us from speaking, and slowly repeal our freedoms to gain power. But power is bound to transfer, and governments can only tighten their grip on it for so long until it is forced out of their hands. Using every tool at their disposal, governments everywhere aggressively divide the people to maintain their power, as they know the people can and will overpower them when united. This is precisely how REAL change and revolutions happen.
