Farmers intensify protests across Northern and Central Greece as roadblocks disrupt borders and highways
Farmers and animal breeders continued their mobilizations on Thursday over high production costs and delayed subsidies, as government officials called for dialog and said disbursements would continue in December.
As part of their mobilizations, farmers used their tractors to block national roads at toll stations and customs stations, where roadblocks were brief but frequent, occasionally alternating lanes.
Roadblocks were set up at the old Thessaloniki-Edessa National Road and the Chalkidona entrance (both directions blocked), with farmers telling the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) they "do not know when we will open the road".
Mobilizations also took place in the Pieria area of Macedonia, on the old Thessaloniki-Katerini National Road, the Kozani-Florina road at Filotas roundabout, the old Patras-Pyrgos road, the E-65 road at Karditsa
Farmers ended the blocking of the Promahonas customs at the borders of Greece with Bulgaria, saying they would discuss their actions at a meeting on Friday morning. Nearly 500 meters from the Exochi customs station in the Drama border region with Bulgaria, members of the coordinating committee of farmers said they were not planning to block the station on Thursday.
Evzones, Bahçeköy (Kipi) customs
At the Evzones customs station, at the borders with North Macedonia, farmers opened the way to decongest traffic and then reblocked it. The customs station has been blocked and reopened several times in the last two days, allowing only trucks carrying Greek goods to go through. Also at the borders with North Macedonia, farmers blocked the customs house of Niki, in the Florina region, for about an hour, in a symbolic gesture.
On the Thessaloniki-Athens National Road and the Malgara tolls in the greater Thessaloniki area in particular, farmers continued to block the lanes leading to Athens, alternating the closing and opening of the lanes leading northward. They have been joined by open market producers and sellers, taxi owners, and funeral home directors, who joined them for support at Malgara.
Greece-Turkiye border
Trucks were blocked from travel in either direction at the Bahçeköy (Kipi) customs station at the borders with Türkiye by Dedeağaç (Alexandroupolis) area farmers, while trucks formed long lines reaching from the customs house to Egnatia roundabout, the head of the farming and animal breeding association of Dedeağaç (Alexandroupolis), Kostas Alexandris, told ANA-MPA.
"To decongest the situation somewhat, 50 vehicles passed through to Türkiye last night and the same will happend tonight and over the next few days. Of trucks awaiting to enter Greece, in cooperation with the Greece-Türkiye customs authorities, only those trucks with perishable products, such as seafood, are allowed to enter," he noted.
Trial date change
Meanwhile, the court case of two farmers who were arrested over incidents in Nikea on November 30 was postponed for December 15. Farmers supporting their two colleagues said they would ensure a much stronger presence on the day of the trial, which is taking place in Larissa, while the roadblock at Nikea is continually being enforced daily, joined by farmers from throughout Thessaly. Participants have said that the arrests were part of their greater struggle.
ANA-MPA
