The firefighters, who had been staging a 48-hour protest outside the ministry, called for the government to address critical staffing shortages by filling 4,000 vacant positions and offering them year-round employment contracts. “We are here peacefully to demand what we rightfully deserve: 12 months of work in the Fire Service,” their statement read, adding, “We have been mocked, ignored, and left in permanent uncertainty.”

Under the slogan “disasters are not seasonal,” the firefighters voiced their frustration with the government’s inaction. Their peaceful sit-in soon escalated when one firefighter climbed to the third floor of the ministry building, threatening to jump unless riot police left and Minister Kikilias addressed them. Vice President of the Seasonal Firefighters Union, Akis Bardakis, intervened to calm his colleague and prevent any tragic outcome. Bardakis later commented, “This is what the ministry and government decisions have come to—2,500 families left in uncertainty and distress.”

Despite their demands, police issued an ultimatum for the firefighters to leave by 8:30 pm, ultimately resorting to tear gas to clear the protest when the deadline passed.

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