The response came as the Greek government sought to ban protests at the iconic monument.

KANIKA SINGH RATHORE,

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Greece’s conservative government has sparked a parliamentary row by proposing to ban protests at the iconic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens. Opposition parties condemned the move, accusing the Prime Minister of sowing intolerance and division.

The government on Tuesday submitted an amendment to the law governing the care of the monument, sparking a heated debate. Four opposition parties lodged an objection, claiming that the proposal is unconstitutional and curtails the right to free expression and protest. The leftist Syriza party reacted by calling for protests on Tuesday evening.

This memorial, which is located directly outside the Parliament, often serves as a focal point of public demonstrations. Recently, it became the site of protests by relatives of victims of Greece’s deadliest train accident. The February 2023 disaster, in which a freight train and a passenger train collided on the same track, tragically killed 57 people, mostly students returning to university after the public holidays.

The memorial, a cenotaph in honor of those who died fighting for Greece, is a popular tourist site for tourists who wish to watch the hourly changing of the Presidential Guard.

Amendment brought by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis‘The government will allow visitors but will ban protests or any physical changes to the area. Violators will face fines or imprisonment of up to one year.

Tourists watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, as lawmakers debate rules to protect the monument, which was recently the center of protests by relatives of victims of Greece's deadliest train crash. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Tourists watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, as lawmakers debate rules to protect the monument, which was recently the center of protests by relatives of victims of Greece’s deadliest train crash. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) ,Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved,

A temporary memorial to the victims of the railway disaster has been set up in a small square in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with the names of the victims written in red on the ground, surrounded by candles and flower pots.

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Panos Roussi, who lost his 22-year-old son Denis in the crash, recently held a 23-day hunger strike at the makeshift memorial demanding that his son’s body be exhumed for toxicology and dna test To determine the exact cause of death. Judicial authorities granted permission in early October.

The accident in Tempe, central Greece, exposed serious deficiencies in Greece’s railway network, including safety systems, and triggered massive anti-government protests. Critics accuse officials of failing to take political responsibility for the disaster or hold senior officials accountable. Some people have also accused the government of a cover-up, claiming that the goods train contained undeclared chemicals, which caused the massive fireball that may have killed some people.

The trial of 36 people charged in connection with the crash is scheduled to begin in March 2026.

Protesters clash with riot police officers in front of the parliament at a rally marking the two-year anniversary of the Tempi train crash and a 24-hour nationwide strike in central Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece, on February 28, 2025. Mass demonstrations took place across Greece demanding justice for the victims, two years after the collision of a passenger train and a freight train in the municipality of Kochunni, Greece. On 28 February 2023, at least 57 people were killed in Tempe, in the northern Thessaly region. EPA/Alexandros Vlachos

Protesters clash with riot police officers in front of the parliament at a rally marking the two-year anniversary of the Tempi train crash and a 24-hour nationwide strike in central Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece, on February 28, 2025. Mass demonstrations took place across Greece demanding justice for the victims, two years after the collision of a passenger train and a freight train in the municipality of Kochunni, Greece. On 28 February 2023, at least 57 people were killed in Tempe, in the northern Thessaly region. EPA/Alexandros Vlachos ,EPA,

The disaster has become a major political issue in Greece. Russi’s lawyer, Zoe Constantopoulou, is a leader and member of a small left-wing party. Parliament,

The government argues that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a national monument that should be protected.

“The purpose (of the amendment) is not to be divisive. The purpose is to reinforce respect, honor of a sacred monument,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said on Monday.

But opposition parties argue that the move is a direct response to anti-government protests over the Tempe disaster.

Russi’s hunger strike “terrified the prime minister and everyone around the prime minister,” Constantopoulou said during Tuesday’s parliamentary debate.

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