Farmers sowing the seeds of discontent

Farmers from Greece’s northern region of Thessaloniki briefly blocked the Malgara tollgates on the Thessaloniki-Athens national highway Tuesday. Farmers are angry at higher taxes on their income, land and fuel, as demanded by Greece’s international creditors, and briefly blocked a border crossing to Bulgaria, as well as a key crossing point into the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) for a second day. Similar roadblocks last year led to a diplomatic spat with Bulgaria. Other roads in the country were also briefly blocked by tractors. Protest action began last week. [ANA-MPA]