Farmers move tractors aside – Holidays with open blockades

Starting from today, Tuesday (23/12), tractors will be lined up at the edges of the roads across the country, as farmers want to facilitate Christmas travel. However, the protests at the blockades continue, with farmers declaring their determination to spend even the New Year’s Eve on the road, until substantial answers are provided to their demands.

As decided at the nationwide meeting of the blockades held in Lefkona, Serres last week, from today, Tuesday 23/12, until Friday 26/12, as well as during New Year’s, the farmers will rearrange their tractors and agricultural machines along the roads to make it easier for the public during this festive period.

“The public is on our side, and we want it to continue supporting us. That’s why we decided to facilitate people who are traveling during the holidays. After that, if the government does not meet our demands, we will escalate our actions,” the farmers stated. At the same time, they denounced that “the police are closing the roads, and we hope nothing similar will happen during the holiday weekend.”

Meanwhile, in a statement, the National Committee of the Blockades accuses the government of a “deliberate effort to cause inconvenience to the people and slander the farmers’ struggle.”

It has not yet been clarified whether one or two lanes will open, or what will happen with the tractors in the Emergency Lane, but according to the farmers’ latest assemblies, “the roads will be open from noon.”

Hellenic Police: Regulation and traffic diversion necessary during agricultural protests

“Regulation and diversion of traffic during agricultural protests are necessary,” say sources from the Hellenic Police concerning the state of the country’s road network due to the farmers’ blockades.

“The Hellenic Police, as part of its institutional mission to ensure road safety and protect human life, takes the necessary measures to regulate and divert traffic in cases of road blockages and for as long as there are obstacles or people on the roadway,” said police sources.

These sources emphasize that during agricultural protests, taking such measures is a legal obligation because the presence of agricultural tractors, stationary or mobile obstacles, and pedestrians on the roadway creates objectively dangerous traffic conditions, regardless of anyone’s intentions or statements.

At the same time, it is pointed out by the Hellenic Police that vehicle passage under these conditions carries an increased risk of serious traffic accidents, and for this reason, traffic diversion is the only way to prevent risks, not an option. Furthermore, it is stressed that these measures are not only taken to protect drivers and passengers but also to protect the protesting farmers themselves, who are moving on roads designed for rapid vehicle movement and not for human presence.

Finally, police sources state that the “Hellenic Police acts and makes relevant decisions based on a documented risk assessment and not on statements of good intentions. In this context, the police act with the safety of everyone in mind and cannot allow vehicles to circulate in places where human life is at risk. Compliance with traffic regulation measures is an essential requirement to prevent accidents and ensure public safety.”