Greeks 'demand justice' on anniversary of deadly train crash

Rail services in Greece ground to a halt and ships were held up in ports near Athens on Wednesday (February 28) as rail workers walked off the job to mark the anniversary of the country's deadliest train crash.

Thousands took part in protests in the Greek capital, demanding higher salaries and job security while thousands of students were protesting against the privatization of universities in the country.

All this happened during the anniversary of the worst-ever train crash that shocked Greek society when 57 people, mostly students, lost their lives. A year on, students continue to demonstrate.

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"We remember this event every day. We feel pain, sadness and anger, that's why we are here today," a student told CGTN. "We need to remember what happened and we need to fight for justice to be served so it won't happen again," she added.

Protesters, ranging from rail and hospital workers to seafarers and school teachers, joined the 24-hour walkout by Greece's largest public-sector union ADEDY.

At the same time, students from all over the country joined the rally in Athens to demonstrate against the privatization of universities, worrying that part of the already decreased public funding would be allocated to private institutions.

This demonstration is the largest the country has seen since the start of the year. There are more than two dozen organizations from students to health workers and laborers from the public sector demanding higher salaries.

They haven't seen an increase since recovering from a decade-long debt crisis, and their monthly salaries lag behind those in other EU countries.

"Inflation and product prices are increasing at a much faster rate than our salaries," a metro driver told CGTN. "Today our salaries are very low. We haven't seen an increase in over 14 years. Our paycheck is only good for the first 15 days of the month, after that, we struggle until the next paycheck. Imagine living like that," he added.

Higher salaries, job security and decreased public funding are all major topics affecting Greek society.

But despite all the different demands, protesters of all ages united to remember the victims of the train crash and held up a black banner reading "We don't forget, we demand justice."

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