Greek Farmers Dump Produce on Streets to Protest Inflation
Greek farmers have dropped chestnuts and apples on a pavement outside an agriculture fair in protest. They have vowed to escalate this following similar protests across Europe with farmers seeking to take their grievances over inflation, foreign competition and the rising costs of combating climate change to the streets.
The farmers hailed from the Thessaly region, in central Greece, and went to the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on buses in a quest to join their colleagues from the north who came with their tractors.
“The millions of euros that the Prime Minister says he is giving us to cut down on production costs are a pittance,” said Kostas Tzelas, a farmers’ federation leader from Thessaly.
The Prime Minister “said nothing about us losing income from the (European Union’s) Common Agricultural Policy. If he wants us to remain in Greece and not emigrate, he must solve our problems,” he added.
The farmers from Thessaly left following their protest, while those from northern Greece will remove their tractors Sunday. But they, and others from across Greece, will meet Tuesday and will likely decide to escalate their protests, including blocking highways.
Farmers have even ridiculed the government’s proposal for a meeting with Mitsotakis, calling it a photo-opportunity event.
“The last thing we care about is a meeting with the Prime Minister,” Tzelas said.
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