Mass student protest planned in Greece on April 9: “Their profits or our lives!”

As part of a nationwide strike scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, students across Greece—particularly in Athens—are preparing to take to the streets under the powerful slogan: “Their profits or our lives!”

Athens students will hold their own protest rally at 10:30 a.m. at Propylaea Square, in front of the University of Athens. The demonstration is being organized in response to ongoing issues in the education system, unsafe school conditions, and most notably, the tragic Tempi train disaster, which exposed severe governmental negligence.

Student Call to Action: “Let’s be in the streets together”
The Athens Student Coordination Committee has issued a nationwide call urging all student councils—both five-member and fifteen-member bodies—to formally vote to participate in the strike. In their public statement, they declared:

“In the coming days, let student councils decide to join the strike. On the day of the strike, let’s take to the streets with our teachers across the country! Together with our parents and teachers, we will resist the policies of pressure and intimidation in our schools. One for all, and all for one!”

“Our fight for life will be their fear”
The students continue to demand justice for the victims of the Tempi tragedy, in which dozens lost their lives. The statement continued:

“We return to the streets because we demand justice. Our fight will continue both inside and outside of schools. The guilty—whether high or low—must be held accountable. Our lives will prevail!”

Recalling the victories of past mobilizations, the students emphasized:

“They tried to silence us, but we raised our voices. In every school, with our banners, our slogans, and our actions, we became the voice of those who died in Tempi. The culprits are clear: the state, the governments, the corporations. True justice will only come through organized struggle.”

Demands for Transparency: “We want the truth”
Students also raised concerns about potential NATO involvement in the Tempi incident, questioning whether the train was transporting fuel for military purposes:

“Was that train carrying NATO fuel? Are our lives being endangered for the profits of the few and for war? While people are being massacred in Palestine and across the world, we will not be silenced. We want the truth!”

“We live a Tempi every day”
The students also highlighted the daily struggles faced within the Greek education system, including:

• A student struck by a train in Himathia on the way to school
• Crumbling and unsafe school buildings
• Outdated or insufficient laboratory equipment
• Neglect of artistic subjects and creative learning
• Pressure from standardized exams, competition, and inequality

Rejecting the current structure of the education system, students closed their statement with a defiant message:

“We will not allow politics to move forward by bleeding our lives. With our strength, anger, hope, and resistance, we will light up the darkness.”