Huge protests in Greece over train crash justice

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Global News Podcast 31 min 18 speakers 6 chapters transcribed
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Why are there protests in Greece over a train crash?

Charles Havilland 2:10
The crowd say they want justice for the 57 people who were killed when a passenger service collided with a freight train near the Tempe Gorge in 2023. A report published on Thursday found the crash was caused by human error, poor maintenance and inadequate staffing. And protesters like these two are venting their anger.

What are the findings of the Greek train crash report?

Narrator 2:33
Ich kam hier für Gerechtigkeit, um endlich herauszufinden, warum so viele junge Menschen verloren wurden. Um endlich herauszufinden, warum es Accidents gibt, die die Leben jeden Tag riskieren.
Protester 2:44
Damals waren es diese Kinder, aber es könnte mein eigenes Kind gewesen sein.
Charles Havilland 3:00
I heard more from our reporter in Athens, Helena Smith.
Helena Smith 3:04
We've seen extraordinary scenes here in Athens today. First of all, an incredible demonstration in the square that is the site of the Greek Parliament. Tens of thousands of people gathered there. In a first, they weren't chanting themselves hoarse. They were silent, most bending their heads in honour of the dead.

How are Ukraine's international relations evolving?

Helena Smith 3:29
This is the anniversary, the second anniversary of the country's worst ever rail disaster that saw 57 mostly young students die in an accident that many in Greece believe was entirely preventable and is down to systemic failures, the failure of the state to provide even basic services like a modern railway system.
Charles Havilland 3:55
You mentioned that it's been silent and mournful, but there's also been violence.
Helena Smith 4:00
That's absolutely right. Barely had the relatives of the victims finished addressing the crowds when clashes erupted across the square in what appears to have been a very well-coordinated plan to disrupt an otherwise peaceful protest with black But much of Central Athens has been turned into a war zone, pitch battle between riot police and these rock lobbying youths. There have been extraordinary scenes even around the Greek Parliament today. The report on Thursday, which suggested there are still a lot of failures, haven't been rectified.
Charles Havilland 5:18
Have the authorities given any indication that they are going to act on this and perhaps assuage some of the protesters' concerns?
Helena Smith 5:27
Well, the government has said that it will act on this, that its plan is to create a modern railway system, but it's been very slow. What has stoked so much of this public outrage here in Greece is this sense of a government cover-up and that In the days after the state moved very, very quickly to clean up the scene of the tragedy, removing what could have been very vital evidence, including, if you can believe it, human remains from the site of the crash by gravelling and cementing it over. None of that has helped assuage this public sense.

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