Solidarity and financial support for those arrested in Athens at Tempis demonstration
From Tempi to Repression - A Call for Solidarity and Financial Support
This text is a call for solidarity and financial support for those arrested during the general strike and demonstration held in Athens on February 28, 2026, three years after the Tempi train disaster, which is widely regarded by the protesters as a state crime.
Those arrested are due to stand trial in March 2027, facing serious felony charges that entail substantial legal expenses. By spreading awareness of their case, the aim is both to inform comrades and collectives outside Greece about the events and their political context, and to raise the financial support necessary to cover their legal costs.
The Tempi State Crime and the Outpouring of Social Anger
On February 28, 2023, two trains travelling in opposite directions collided in the Tempi region of central Greece, leaving 57 people dead and hundreds injured.
From the very first days, the Greek government attempted to portray the collision as the result of an isolated case of human error, downplaying the longstanding responsibilities of the state and the companies involved in operating the railway system.
However, evidence soon began to emerge revealing the systematic deterioration of railway safety. Remote traffic control and safety systems had not been completed, despite existing contracts and repeated warnings from railway workers.
At the same time, the privatisation of railway services, carried out as part of the austerity policies imposed on Greece during the economic crisis, had created a system of fragmented responsibilities in which profit was prioritised over human life.
Over the following years, revelations concerning the alteration of the crash site, the handling of evidence, and the unanswered questions surrounding the circumstances of the victims’ deaths reinforced the widespread belief that this was not simply an accident, but a state crime followed by attempts at a cover-up.
The victims’ families continued to demand answers, while anger spread across the country. On February 28, 2025, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Athens and other Greek cities in one of the largest waves of protest in recent decades.
A Society Under Strain
For those facing prosecution, and for many others, Tempi is not an isolated incident of state negligence. It is the result of the same political and economic reality that has been undermining people's lives for decades.
Greece went through a profound economic crisis, during which severe austerity measures, privatisations, and the deregulation of labour were imposed. The mass social struggles of that period failed to reverse this course, while the incorporation of social discontent into parliamentary politics led to even greater disillusionment.
In the years that followed, rising living costs, unaffordable rents, precarious employment, and the commodification of every aspect of everyday life became the norm. At the same time, state repression intensified, self-organised spaces came under attack, and public life became increasingly restricted.
The same state and capitalist logic that treats human lives as disposable is expressed, according to this political analysis, far beyond Tempi: in the deaths of migrants at Europe's borders, in police violence against Roma people and migrants, in the destruction of the natural environment, in the eviction of squats, and in the displacement of residents from their own neighbourhoods.
A striking example is the Pylos shipwreck of 2023, in which hundreds of migrants lost their lives and serious questions were raised concerning the responsibility of the Greek Coast Guard.
For us, these are not disconnected incidents. They are different manifestations of a system that sacrifices human beings, communities, and the natural environment in the name of development, profitability, and the preservation of power.
From Mass Social Anger to Criminal Prosecution
The Tempi state crime sparked an enormous wave of social anger, bringing hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets across Greece. The mobilisations were not limited to Athens but spread to numerous cities, with mass demonstrations, strikes, and rallies.
However, despite its massive scale, a large part of the movement remained focused on demands for justice and the proper functioning of state institutions. Within this broader social movement, some participants, including those currently facing prosecution, expressed a different political position. They do not believe that crimes such as Tempi occur simply because state institutions fail to function properly. On the contrary, they argue that such crimes are consequences of the very way a system operates when it places economic and political interests above human needs.
On February 28, 2026, the third anniversary of the disaster, new demonstrations took place across the country. Among those participating in the Athens demonstration were the individuals who now face felony charges. Their participation was not solely an act of protest for the 57 people killed at Tempi, but also an expression of a broader political anger: for those who have died at the borders, for the victims of police violence, for the neighbourhoods being lost, for autonomous spaces being repressed, for the natural world being destroyed, and for an everyday existence that is becoming increasingly suffocating.
As they themselves explain, they chose not to confine their anger to demands for institutional reform. They chose to resist police repression and confront the forces attempting to impose silence and social peace. They do not see state violence as an exception, but as a fundamental mechanism through which the existing social order is maintained. And we stand with them in this.
Our anger is not limited to what happened on that particular day. It concerns the lives imposed on large sections of society every day, and the prospect of a future in which exploitation, repression, and death are presented as inevitable consequences of “progress”.
The Legal Case and the Call for Solidarity
During the demonstration of February 28, 2026, the individuals concerned were arrested and subsequently faced serious felony charges. Their trial is scheduled for March 2027, and the legal expenses they are required to cover are substantial.
The financial burden of this case cannot be overlooked. In a context where criminal penalties and legal costs have increased, simply becoming involved in legal proceeding can place an enormous burden on anyone who chooses to struggle.
For this reason, a call for solidarity and financial support is being made. Financial contributions, the organisation of benefit events, spreading awareness of the case, and building connections between collectives are meaningful ways to ensure that no one engaged in struggle is left alone in the face of repression.
This case does not concern Greece alone. Privatisation policies, the devaluation of human life, increasing surveillance, and the repression of social resistance know no borders. Neither should our solidarity.
Comrades and collectives from other countries are called upon to contribute towards the legal expenses of those facing prosecution, spread awareness of their case, and organise fundraising events in solidarity.
In the face of a system that organises exploitation and repression on an international scale, our response can only be international solidarity.
No one engaged in struggle should be left alone in the face of state repression.
Solidarity is our weapon.
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