The mass rally commemorating the 57 victims of the tragic rail accident at Tempi concluded with a speech by the mother of one of the victims, Maria Karystianou, on Friday afternoon. Crowds of people of all ages packed Syntagma Square and the surrounding streets during the two hours of the rally, demanding justice.
The major protest rally with large crowds of people filling Syntagma Square and the surrounding roads began in central Athens at around 11:00 on Friday, held to mark the second year since the tragic rail accident at Tempi and to pay tribute to the 57 people killed on that day with a demand for justice.
People of all ages congregated in the capital, while the presence of young people, students and school pupils was especially marked.
The rally began at 11:00, in response to a call by the victims and their families, but people and organisations started to assemble early in the day at various pre-assembly points in order to approach Syntagma in an orderly manner.
In a show of support, many shops, cafes and restaurants will stay shut on Friday, especially in the city centre where almost nothing is open. Theatres and other cultural venues will also be closed.
Rallies are also taking place in other Greek towns and cities, with residents of Larissa gathering in the central square under the banner "I have no oxygen". In the northwestern Greek city of Ioannina, four generations met at the protest rally in the Ioannina central square, from babies to the very elderly, to demand "Justice for Tempi", including farmers with their tractors.
A mass rally and march was held in Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki, starting at the Eleftherios Venizelos statue at 11:00 and followed by a march from the rail station via Agion Panton Street to the Macedonia-Thrace ministry.
In the port city of Patra, the third largest in Greece, the city's Georgiou Square and the surrounding streets were also packed with protestors from all walks of life for the rally and subsequent march through the city.
Large rallies were held in Lamia, Heraklion, Rhodes, Volos, Chania and Lamia, as well as several other cities, towns and villages throughout the country.
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