Something unprecedented and unique took place today, Friday Feb. 28, all over Greece. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in every corner of the country, from Syntagma to the smallest island and the most remote village. All Greeks united, without "colors" and factions. All together one fist to demand "Justice" and "Vindication" for the 57 victims of the Tempe tragedy and their families. The participation in the Tempe rallies both in Athens and in other cities of Greece was huge and admittedly the largest rallies ever held in Greece and all were peaceful despite the efforts of some to disperse and tarnish them.
HDN Newsroom
More than 170,000 people gathered at Syntagma and shouted "present" and "present" during the reading of the names of the victims of Tempi, while at the end they shouted "immortals".
The floor at the gathering in Syntagma was taken first of all by representatives of the students, as the majority of the victims were young people, who returned to their homes or faculties on the fateful night.
In their statements, they all insisted on the demand for justice in order to vindicate the memory of the dead and the struggle of their relatives to shed "light" on the causes of the accident.
The emotionally charged speeches of the victims' relatives were embraced by the crowd with loud applause.
According to the police statement, more than 170,000 people were found in Syntagma.
The people at the huge - unprecedented by Greek standards - gathering respectfully observed the order imposed by this maximum show of respect and isolated and disapproved individual attempts of disrespect by small groups who wanted to disrupt the decency demanded by the anniversary and tarnish the grandiose gathering.
At some point the "known strangers" or "convenient brainless" tried to break up the gathering by creating incidents. The peaceful demonstrators returned after a while to Syntagma with their hands up, declaring their peaceful intentions.
Then - and for no apparent reason - a few minutes after 16:00 - while the demonstrators were gathered in front of the Parliament, without causing or creating incidents - riot police, with obvious orders to evict people, fired tear gas and started firing water with auras at the demonstrators, who were surprised by the unprovoked attack.
The demonstrators, however, returned again and as a sign of their peace-loving moods, continued their protest seated, chanting slogans for Tempe.
The largest gathering in the history of Thessaloniki
The scene was similar in Thessaloniki, with tens of thousands of people - the largest gathering in the history of the city, which surpassed even the large protests for Macedonia.
Tens of thousands of citizens protested peacefully for the railway tragedy of Tempi, having flooded every main road and the narrow streets that contribute to Egnatia Street, along its entire length!
The crowds were so dense that it took more than half an hour to walk a distance of a few tens of meters.
More than 50,000 people gathered in Patras
Thousands of citizens, unions, federations, unions and bodies, collectives and organizations, were dynamically present in today's 24-hour strike, demanding "vindication" and "justice until the end" for Tempi. Crowds of people gathered in George Square, while all shops in the center and perimeter of the city remained closed.
Mass rally for Tempi in Chania and Heraklion - Crete
On the streets of Chania, citizens from all over the region descended to demonstrate and demand justice, 2 years after the tragic accident in Tempi. And in Chania, young people, adults, families, clubs, unions and unions took to the streets, while dozens of professional branches and services do not operate today as a tribute to the memory of the 57 victims of Tempi.
This is probably the largest mass rally that has taken place in Chania in decades. It is worth noting that while it started raining at some point, no protesters left the rally. The rainfall, however, was temporary. The gathering of demonstrators began at 10.00 in the morning at the Municipal Market of Chania and at about 12.00 the peaceful march began in the streets of the city.
Heraklion was filled with shouts and banners, as citizens, associations and institutions gathered in the city center to honor the 57 victims of the tragedy in Tempi and demand transparency, justice and security. The turnout is unprecedented, as already by 10:00 in the morning – an hour before the scheduled rally – Eleftherias Square and the surrounding streets were flooded with protesters. More than 30,000 people gathered in the center of Heraklion.
Large protest in Larissa
A large protest against the accident in Tempi was also held in the central square of Larissa with the slogan "I have no oxygen". The gathering was massively attended by citizens of Larissa, city bodies, labor unions, student associations, while by decision of the Association of Catering Entrepreneurs and the Commercial Association the shops remained closed.
And it goes on and on, with more than 262 rallies all over Greece. While gatherings are taking place also abroad from Australia to North Korea and from Italy to the US, wherever there are Hellenes and Hellenism.
