Derailing Truth: Tripartite Discourse and Public Outrage Over Greece's Tempe Valley Disaster

Abstract

On 28 February 2023, a catastrophic rail accident near Tempe Valley in Greece claimed 57 lives and left one passenger missing, triggering widespread protests and public scepticism regarding government accountability. This study examines the Greek government's crisis response through an integrated analysis of official discourse, revealing that the response unfolds in three distinct phases. In the initial mourning phase, officials expressed collective grief and assumed symbolic responsibility through emotive public statements. This was followed by a depoliticisation phase, during which the disaster was reframed as an isolated administrative failure, thereby downplaying systemic issues. Finally, in the evasion phase, responsibility was shifted through denial and blame-shifting tactics, effectively withdrawing from earlier commitments to accountability. The study provides fresh insights into how crisis communication is strategically deployed to sustain public trust and political legitimacy in times of democratic fragility, making a contribution to the understanding of crisis management in politically sensitive contexts.