A familiar protest gesture has once again made its appearance across Greece with tractors blocking major roads and highways as of yesterday, in the latest protest by farmers who are demanding the government roll back new measures increasing their taxes and social insurance contributions.
The first roadblock of the day was formed on the new Larisa-Kozani national road near Tyrnavos, at the Argyropouli junction, by Larisa farmers in the Melouna group for about two hours and was later ended.
Aigialeia farmers also blocked the Patras-Corinth national highway near Egio on Wednesday evening, forcing traffic to use the old national road. Based on the decisions taken at their meeting, they will close the road again on Thursday afternoon and then meet again to decide further action.
The road linking Serres with Thessaloniki was also closed for nearly an hour earlier on Wednesday as a result of the farmers’ mobilisations but not because of a roadblock but simply the sheer number of tractors arriving at Lefkonas and preventing vehicle traffic from getting through.
This gave farmers an opportunity to arrange their tractors by the side of the road, thus enabling traffic to go through. Police reported 60 tractors at Lefkonas, though sources told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) that this number was gradually growing.
Meanwhile, the Panhellenic Roadblocks Committee urged farmers in Larisa and all Thessaly to join the central roadblock that is to be set up on Thursday at the Nikaia junction, on the country’s main north-south highway.
Rodopi farmers meeting in Komotini on Tuesday night decided not to blockade roads for the present, but to “isolate” the farmers that they consider “sold them out” during last year’s protests. Their first step in this direction will be their participation in a rally planned to coincide with the Zootechnia trade fair in Thessaloniki on Feb. 2-5 though they will examine possible earlier protest action at a meeting on Sunday.
If the government failed to respond to their demands, however, they warned that roadblocks were also a possibility.
In the Lasithi Plateau on Crete, meanwhile, farmers defied the bitter cold to range their tractors by the side of the road but did not block the flow of traffic.
In central and western Macedonia, meanwhile, they are gearing up to fully mobilise protest action at the weekend after a meeting by their coordinating committee on Tuesday night decided that the ranging of tractors along highways should start on Wednesday, in order to do a “headcount” and see whether the plans they have prepared can be carried out.
Sources said these plans include blocking access to the Evzones customs post on the border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and a strong roadblock in east Thessaloniki. The head of the Kastoria livestock breeders association Dimitris Moschos said that details will be announced on Monday, following a meeting to be held on Saturday.
Best prepared and coordinated are the farmers in Halkidiki, Pieria, Pella, Imathia and Halkidon, followed by those in Malgara, Halastra, Kilkis and Derveni.
