Farmers Prepare “Landing” at Thessaloniki Port

Farmers are gearing up for their “landing” at Thessaloniki port today, Friday (12/12), with tractors and agricultural machinery. The protest movement is gaining momentum, and trade unions and students have also issued calls to support the agricultural movement. Participation from farmers from various blockades is expected.

According to reports, the meeting point is set at the blockade in Malgara at 10:00 AM, and farmers from Central and Western Macedonia are expected to head towards Thessaloniki port. Their goal is to stage a symbolic blockade of the port for three hours, as reported by ERT, after which they plan to return to their respective blockades. The exact time they are expected to arrive at the port remains unclear.

At the same time, a new mobilization is expected in Larissa, where farmers will attempt to reach the offices of local MPs with their tractors.

At the blockades, the gathered farmers are resolute, and a key date will be Saturday, when they will discuss the next steps for their national meeting in Nikaia.

Meanwhile, farmers, livestock breeders, and beekeepers from Thesprotia and Kavala carried out new protests yesterday, Thursday (11/12).

Farmers and livestock breeders in Kavala threw milk, straw, grapes, and tomatoes at the entrance of the Regional Unit building, while in Thesprotia, they attempted a symbolic blockade of the international port of Igoumenitsa.

Police forces set up two roadblocks at the Igoumenitsa port, where a police car blocked the road, cutting off access for the farmers and livestock breeders.

Ultimately, the farmers and livestock breeders managed to block one of the two lanes of the Egnatia Highway.

Farmers and livestock breeders from Mavrodendri Kozani carried out a symbolic blockade of the OPEKEPE offices.

Farmers in Central Evia remain unyielding in their positions, having blocked the new bridge of Halkida for about an hour in the morning and again for an hour in the afternoon.

Farmers from Western Thessaly remain at their blockades and are preparing for their participation in the nationwide meeting in Nikaia, Larissa, this coming Saturday.

Representatives from unions and organizations in both regions visit the two blockades daily to express their support and solidarity with the farmers’ struggle. They are being updated on the progress of the protests and the farmers’ demands, and they are discussing additional actions, stating they will continue and escalate their protests.

Meeting at Nikaia Cultural Center

A special meeting has been scheduled for today, Friday (12/12) at 12:00 PM at the Nikaia Cultural Center, Larissa, where a call has been made for participation from all the blockades across the country. Representatives from at least 35–40 blockades are expected to attend.

Farmers and livestock breeders are determined to escalate their protests even after this nationwide meeting if the government does not address their demands and commit to solving the issues they say threaten their survival.

At the Nikaia blockade, farmers and livestock breeders are receiving support from workers and pensioners from unions across the region. The meeting at the blockade was also attended by the Metropolitan of Larissa and Tyrnavos, who expressed his support and voiced concerns about the depopulation of the countryside. The president of SYRIZA, Socrates Famelos, is also expected at the location.

At the Green Lanterns: Food Distribution

At the Green Lanterns, on Thursday afternoon, market vendors and producers distributed one ton of food to passing cars and buses.

They emphasized that they all share the same problems and deadlock, noting that “the farmers’ struggle is just.”

Meanwhile, the farmers at the Green Lanterns are preparing for tomorrow’s rally at Thessaloniki port, where they plan to enter the city with their tractors. They have also set up a Christmas tree, signaling that they are here to stay.

Prolonged Closure at Promachonas

For another day, hundreds of trucks remain stationary in both Greece and Bulgaria, creating a traffic jam that stretches for kilometers.

The trucks have been waiting since 12:30 PM on Thursday when the farmers and livestock breeders began their blockade of the Promachonas border crossing, which has now been ongoing for the ninth consecutive day.

Closure of High Bridge in Halkida

On Thursday (11/12), the high bridge in Halkida was closed by farmers, livestock breeders, and beekeepers from Central Evia from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. More farmers from Northern Evia are joining to support the blockade.

Earlier on Thursday, the high bridge was also closed for an hour and a half in the morning. The farmers at the site stated they will remain united in their blockades until their demands are met.

Throughout the closure of the high bridge, the traffic towards Athens was allowed to flow on the old bridge as the procession of the icon of Saint Spyridon took place.

Meeting with Hatzidakis, Tsiaras, Skertsos and Crete Producers

The meeting between Cretan farmers and livestock breeders with Deputy Prime Minister Kostas Hatzidakis and Minister of Rural Development Kostas Tsiaras ended without a “white smoke.” The meeting will continue today, Friday, at 10:00 AM, as both sides are attempting to reach an agreement, which, however, requires resolving technical issues.

Over twelve representatives from Crete arrived at Hatzidakis’ office on Thursday after 5 PM.

Their main demands are to have prices on par with the rest of the country, and to equalize the rights of those they believe were wronged by the application of technical solutions, which is not currently on the negotiation table for the government.

Farmers are calling for electricity prices to drop to seven cents per kilowatt-hour, with an effort to lower them further.

They also seek a reassessment of agricultural fuel quantities per crop to meet modern needs, which is also under review.

Farmers have made it clear that if their demands are not addressed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Tsiaras, they will return with even more forceful actions in the coming days.