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Thousands of Greek farmers gathered in central Athens on Friday and drove dozens of tractors to parliament for an overnight protest rally, signaling continued anger with the government over what they say are unresolved pressures on their ability to grow crops. The march brought farm machinery into the city as police blocked central streets and accompanied the tractor convoy through Athens to Syntagma Square, the traditional focal point for demonstrations in Greece.
The protest is part of a campaign that has lasted months, with farmers citing high production costs, low prices for their products and delays in the payment of European Union-backed subsidies. The payment delays, farmers said, came as authorities reviewed all subsidy requests after revelations of widespread fraud claims related to EU farm support, a process protesters argued effectively punished farmers who said they complied with program rules.
Protesters said the delays left many farmers in debt and unable to plant their fields for the next season. They also tied their frustration to what they described as broader economic strain for rural producers and said the government has not addressed key concerns despite earlier steps taken to ease parts of the dispute.
In an interview carried by Greek state television ERT, Rizos Maroudas, head of a farmers’ union of the central Greek region of Larissa, said, “Our struggle continues, because our basic demands weren’t satisfied.” Maroudas also said cheap imports were undermining Greek products.
Farmers’ complaints extend beyond crop production, as livestock breeders joined the protest after mass culls that they linked to an outbreak of sheep and goat pox. The farmers’ rally began in November, after the groups widened their demonstrations amid ongoing grievances over costs, prices and subsidy delivery.
After weeks of tractor blockades along major highways and border crossings—sparking traffic and transportation chaos—Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with farmer representatives last month. The government made concessions that included fuel tax rebates and cheaper electricity rates, and farmers dismantled their roadblocks following those steps, while saying the broader problems remained.
Farmers escalated again earlier this month with a 48-hour blockade of major highways, toll stations and junctions, citing not only high production costs but also the European Union’s trade deal with South American nations. The EU-Mercosur agreement seeks to progressively remove duties on almost all goods traded between the two blocs, and farmers said that shift added to their economic pressure.
With Friday’s demonstration running overnight, protesters vowed to stay outside parliament until Saturday, continuing a push for their remaining demands to be addressed.