Greek police chief sacked following train tragedy protests
The chief's discharge comes amid widespread public criticism which the police are facing due to how they are handling demonstrations over the February 28 tragedy.
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A woman waves a Greek flag in front of the parliament during a protest against the government's austerity measures in Athens on May 3, 2010. (Reuters)
Days after the clashes between security forces and demonstrators broke out following the country's deadliest train tragedy, Greece announced on Saturday that it sacked its national police chief.
Chief Constantinos Skoumas was discharged less than two months after being confirmed at the post, said the Prime Minister's office.
The cause of the discharge was not specified. It came amid widespread public criticism that the police are facing due to how they are handling demonstrations over the February 28 tragedy, where 57 people were killed after the trains collided.
Read more: Train accident in Greece leaves 32 dead and 85 injured
"The appointment of a new police chief aims (to introduce) a more positive and efficient implementation of modern police operational plans on citizen safety," the PM's office said.
A riot police squad was filmed in the latest protest on Thursday charging and striking peaceful demonstrators at the central Syntagma Square in Athens.
Another scene was filmed where a police tow truck was ramming a group of protesters who were trying to block an Athens street with garbage bins. A protester was shown flying to the ground in the footage.
Anger and violent protests resulted from the train disaster, which piled major pressure on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ahead of elections expected in May.
Read more: Fresh round of protests in Athens over country's worst train collision
A head-on collision in Evangelismos, Greece, on Tuesday, between "a freight train and the IC 62 train which departed from Athens to Thessaloniki” led to the death of at least 32 people and injured 85 others, according to local authorities.
Local fire departments employed at least 17 vehicles, 150 firefighters, 40 ambulances, and 15 police cars in an effort to put out the blazing fires caused by the disaster.
Three railway officials and the stationmaster who was on duty were charged and will possibly face a life sentence.
Nevertheless, railway unions long warned about the issues, with claims that the network was underfunded, understaffed, and prone to accidents after a decade of spending cuts.
