There was a massive response from people, left-wing parties, and organizations to the protest and march held yesterday afternoon in the center of Athens for the deadly shipwreck of migrants in Pylos.

The march passed by the Greek Parliament where dozens of lanterns were raised for the 78 dead and hundreds of missing persons and continued to the European Commission delegation. The march slogans denounced the criminal policies of Greece and the European Union with closed borders that have led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in recent years trying to come to EU countries.

The tragic shipwreck happened around 2 AM on Wednesday, June 14 off Pylos in the south of Greece, while the Greek coast guard had approached the ship carrying hundreds of migrants and witnesses said it had docked just before it sank.

Former MP and candidate of MeRA25 (the Greek party of DiEM25), Kriton Arsenis, visited the survivors of the shipwreck and conveyed their words stating: “The people spoke to us and told us that while they were being pulled by the coastguard somehow, suddenly, without them realizing it, while the sea was calm, the ship capsized”.

Photos: Evita Paraskevopoulou