By Maria Ravani,
It is February and we are getting closer to the anniversary of the deadly crush that took place three years ago in Tempi, costing the lives of 57 people (mostly of young age). And as the anniversary is approaching, and following the recent protests that shook Greece (or not, according at least to mainstream Greek media), something seems to be happening within the European institutions that most of Greek citizens are unaware of.
The political interest regarding the European Union has rapidly decreased the last few years, something that can be easily seen if you take a look at the turnout in the European elections. However, it seems like this has created an opportunity for certain individuals to infiltrate these institutions and implement an agenda, quite restrictive and conservative –even nondemocratic at some points. From anti-immigration initiatives to speeches about “the right to life and the support of traditional families”, we have heard quite a lot these past few months. And it looks like this roller-coaster has just began.
Recently, the political party LEFT (The Left in the European Parliament) suggested to open once again the discussion about Tempi in the European Parliament and, more specifically, in the soon to be sitting of the institution, that will be held on March 10th 2025 in Strasbourg. The proposal included the calling of Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the appointed Governor of Central Macedonia Region to testify regarding the safety standards of Greece’s railway system before and after the incidence at Tempi. This proposal was backed up by some other political parties of the institution, however it was shot down eventually. The interesting part is the political parties that were responsible for the rejection of this topic.
The alliance that formed in the European Parliament between the far-right representatives of Greece and the New Democracy representatives, has turned into an unknown to many, power that tries to cover-up the crime that was committed three years ago at Tempi, a crime that appears to have its roots deep into the political scene of the country. Most recently, MEP’s from the Patriots for Europe Group (a political group that includes members of the party of Marie Le Pen, Orbán as well as the Greek MEP and quite well-known “patriot” Afroditi Latinopoulou), working together with members of the European People’s Party (which the New Democracy’s representatives are part of), succeed in blocking a new round of testimonies that were associated with the crime at Tempi and would have been detrimental for shedding light into the current attempt of the Greek political system to try and undermine its role in the crush of the trains. A crime that costed so many lives and impacted negatively so many of its citizens.
This cooperation is indicative of the political characteristics of the people who have tried to bury the topic of Tempi. Politicians from the right and far right political spectrum, people whose ideology is based on the ideas of patriotism, have tried the hardest to not let the global community know of the organized attempt that this political regime has made, to not be held accountable for one of the worst train crashes in this country’s history. People who use the phrase “Greek’s rights” more times that we can count, have tried to undermine these same rights in every way possible. And it would be funny, if it was not politically –or at least socially– unethical.
“First Greece. First Greeks.” is a motto quite caching in our recent era, following the vibe of “Make America great again” (ring any bell?). But one cannot help but wonder. How do you put Greece first –which means to put the wellbeing and legal rights of Greek citizens first–, when you actively try to silence the attempt that these people make for this specific political crime to be heard worldwide? How can you say that you want to put the needs of Greek people above all, but at the same time, you drown their voice and sabotage their fight for justice?
It looks like this is another case where patriotism and hypocrisy go hand in hand, a scenario that we are all now too familiar with. And the message –at least for me– is quite clear and the recipient is solely the voters of these kind of “patriotic” voices: You vote for them to “cleanse” our continent and our countries from the “foreigner”, the gays, the lesbians, the non-binaries, the people that you –due to your own beliefs and fears– do not want to leave with. Your hypocrisy led to their power, and now their hypocrisy will bury progressively your rights. And this would be poetic justice, if it was not dangerous for some and scary for all of us…
Reference
- Greens call for independent European investigation into Greek rail disaster. European Greens. Available here
