ATHENS, Greece (AP) 鈥� Greek police arrested two people Friday in connection with a 2010 in which three people trapped in a burning bank died while some in a crowd outside shouted for them to be left to burn.
The Marfin bank employees 鈥� one man and two women, one of whom was pregnant 鈥� were trapped after protesters threw firebombs at the building during a demonstration by tens of thousands of people participating in a general strike against new austerity measures imposed by the government.
The arrests are the first of anyone accused of carrying out the firebombing since an initial suspect was acquitted of all charges. Three bank officials were convicted in 2013 of failing to take adequate safety measures inside the bank branch.
鈥淥ur democracy is strong and always wins in the end. It does not win vengefully. Its victories have to do with vindication and the administration of justice,鈥� Michalis Chrysochoidis, Greece’s Minister for Citizen Protection, said in a statement.
鈥淭here cannot be a crime, the taking of a life, without the administration of justice. There cannot be democracy without the administration of justice,鈥� he added.
Chrysochoidis also referred to the separate arrests Friday of in connection with a series of targeting members of the country鈥檚 governing conservative New Democracy party on July 1 which killed one person and injured another four.
The arson attack on the Marfin bank on May 5, 2010, came in the early stages of Greece鈥檚 , which in which , including deep , were imposed on Greeks in return for .
The bank branch was on the route of a mass demonstration called during a general strike to protest austerity measures imposed for the country鈥檚 first bailout. The protest , with some hurling Molotov cocktails into the bank.
The fire spread quickly, trapping employees inside. When they made it out onto a small balcony, choking from the smoke, some in the crowd below shouted for them to be left to burn because they were working during a general strike. Firefighters were significantly delayed in reaching the site because of the large crowd.
Greek authorities reopened the inquiry into the deaths in 2020.
Greece鈥檚 financial crisis wiped out a quarter of the country鈥檚 economy, plunging it into a depression that saw and unemployment skyrocket to around 27%. The country鈥檚 , but the crisis left a deep mark on Greek society.
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