Kasselakis Accuses EU Centre-Right and Far-Right of Blocking Debate on Tempi Rail Tragedy

Greek opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis has strongly criticised the European People’s Party (EPP) and far-right political groups in the European Parliament for voting down a proposal to debate the deadly 2023 Tempi rail disaster.

by Kowalenko Charlie
May 1, 2024

Kasselakis, president of the Democracy Movement and head of the European Democrats, accused the EPP — the political family of Greece’s ruling New Democracy party — of participating in what he called an ongoing cover-up of the tragedy that claimed 57 lives.

“The masks have fallen,” Kasselakis declared in a social media post, following the rejection of a motion submitted by the centrist Renew Europe group to hold a plenary debate on Tempi during the May 5–8 European Parliament session.

According to Kasselakis, the proposal was blocked by a coalition of conservative and far-right parties, including the EPP, the “Patriots” (affiliated with Kyriakos Velopoulos’ Hellenic Solution), and the European Conservatives. He specifically named New Democracy Vice President and Greek government minister Kostis Hatzidakis, now serving as an EPP vice-president, accusing him of “exporting the cover-up to Brussels.”

“The so-called super-patriots have no interest in uncovering who led 57 European citizens to their deaths or in exposing those responsible for the cover-up,” he said, referring to far-right figures such as Afroditi Latinopoulou and Kyriakos Velopoulos.

Despite the vote, Kasselakis vowed that his party would continue pressing for justice both in Greece and at the European level. “No matter how many obstacles Mr Mitsotakis and his crutches put in our way, the truth will be heard in Europe. The crime in Tempi will not be buried.”

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The Tempi train collision in February 2023 remains a national trauma in Greece, sparking widespread protests and political fallout amid allegations of neglect and mismanagement by authorities. Kasselakis and his party have been vocal in demanding full accountability and transparency.

(Source: In.gr)

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