Greek farmers have cut on Monday the main roads connecting the country from north to south to claim the public subsidies whose payment has been delayed due to a corruption scandal involving funds from the European Union (EU).
Dozens of tractors have blocked the E65 motorway in the Karditsa region, in the center of the country, which connects the capital, Athens, with Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece located in the north of the country, according to the broadcaster Skai.
In addition, hundreds of farmers have blocked a national road between those two cities on the outskirts of the city of Larisa, also in the center of the country, thus completely cutting off road traffic between northern and southern Greece.
You can also read: The fire in Hong Kong has already left 151 dead and 13 arrested for reckless homicide
Protesters have also cut off access to Thessaloniki from the south.
Farmers are protesting against the delay in the disbursement of a series of state subsidies that are distributed by the state agency OPEKEPE, which is currently embroiled in a scandal of embezzlement of hundreds of millions of euros in EU agricultural funds.
The case has been causing problems for the conservative government for months, with two former Agriculture ministers called to testify before a parliamentary commission, although they have not been charged because their party, New Democracy, has not supported them losing their status as privileged individuals.
Several Greek media outlets indicate that between 200 and 230 million euros may have been disbursed since 2017 to people who falsely declared that they owned agricultural land.
This would have reduced aid to genuine farmers, as well as delaying the disbursement of new subsidies, since the European Commission (EC) has demanded that OPEKEPE review the fund distribution system to avoid further cases of embezzlement.
Farmers are also demanding a reduction in the very expensive production cost and more road blockades are expected across the country in the coming days.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said on Monday that the Executive “will do everything possible to expedite payments (to farmers)”, although he added that “it will not allow the obstruction of transit that will affect many, many people”.
At least five people – three farmers and two police officers – were injured yesterday during clashes between peasants and riot police near Larisa, local media reported on Monday.
The first clashes were recorded near the town of Platikampos, where farmers tried to break a police blockade to prevent tractors from reaching a main road.
During these clashes, the Police used tear gas and stun grenades and arrested three farmers.
In the altercations near the town of Nikea, a couple of kilometers further south, a unionist was injured and had to be hospitalized with a fractured rib.
