Demonstrators, police clash as Greece train crash protests resume

Clashes have erupted between police and a group of demonstrators outside the Greek parliament in Athens on the fringes of a protest by thousands of students and railway workers over Greece’s deadliest train crash in living memory.

A small group of protesters hurled petrol bombs at police and set fire to rubbish bins on Sunday.

Police responded by firing tear gas and stun grenades, clearing Syntagma Square of the protesters within a few minutes. The protesters then dispersed to nearby streets.

Police said 12,000 people had gathered by the large esplanade in front of the parliament to demand accountability for Tuesday’s head-on collision near the central city of Larissa that has sparked widespread outrage.

At least 57 people were killed and dozens were injured when a passenger train with more than 350 people on board collided with a freight train on the same track in central Greece.

After protests over the past three days across the country, some 10,000 students, railway workers and groups affiliated with left-wing parties gathered in Athens’s Syntagma Square to express sympathy for the lives lost and to demand better safety standards on the rail network.

“That crime won’t be forgotten,” protesters shouted as they released black balloons into the sky. A placard read: “Their policies cost human lives.”

The train, travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki, was packed with university students returning after a long holiday weekend. The disaster has triggered an outpouring of anger, as well as a sharp focus on safety standards.