site.btaForeign Ministry Urges Bulgarians to Avoid Major Greek Cities Amid Planned Tempi Tragedy Protests on Friday

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised Bulgarian citizens to avoid traveling in the city centres of major Greek cities on Friday and to strictly follow the instructions of local authorities, as new large-scale protests marking the second anniversary of the Tempi railway tragedy are planned.

Greek trade unions are organizing a demonstration in front of the National and Kapodistrian University in Athens, scheduled for 12:00 PM on Friday. A significant number of participants is expected. Street closures and traffic disruptions are possible, which may block central areas in Athens and other cities, the Ministry warns.

If assistance is needed, Bulgarian citizens can contact the Bulgarian Embassy in Athens, and more information is available on their website.

On Wednesday night, new marches were held in Greece in memory of the 57 victims of the railway disaster in Tempe on February 28, 2023. Various unions organized a large rally in Syntagma Square in Athens under the slogan "The Tempe crime will not be covered up." This comes after four left-wing and center-left parties, led by the main opposition party PASOK, filed a motion of no confidence against the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis for "criminal incompetence" that led to the tragedy, and for alleged attempts to cover up the causes. Additionally, the Greek Parliament voted to establish a commission to investigate the actions of the authorities at the crash site.