Government issues warning as escalation looms
As farmers announced on Wednesday that they will intensify their protests and blockades of national highways, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mistotakis hinted that the government may part with its, so far, conciliatory tone.
More specifically, and for the first time, he sent a stern message to farmers, saying that “no one can blackmail society, no matter how fair the demand may be.” He reiterated that dialogue with the farmers remains on the table, but on the condition there are no roadblocks and disruptions to society’s collective interests.
“No one should feel that a social group can be given preferential treatment because it can shout more and demonstrate more vigorously,” he said, deploring the closure of the roads.
He made similar remarks on Tuesday night, when he spoke with the president of the Hellenic American Chamber, Nikolaos Bakatselos, stressing that in the last four years farmers received 1 billion euros in agricultural compensation, an amount much higher than their contributions. He also recalled that this money came from citizens’ taxes.
The bottom line is that the government’s decision to put the brakes on farmers’ demands is dictated both by fiscal margins and the need for social justice, as the performance of the Greek economy cannot be directed only by a social group that has the power of pressure with tractors.
Farmers’ demands include lifting the tax on agricultural diesel fuel, lower energy costs, subsidized livestock feed and farm provisions, and a 100% reimbursement on lost livestock and crop products income. They are also demanding that the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy be revised.
