Farmers’ strike: Mitsotakis resorts to threats

The conflict between the government and farmers flared up even more after the Prime Minister’s administration sharply changed its rhetoric from peace talks to threats.

In particular, the Prime Minister, visiting Haidari, spoke harshly to farmers for the first time, saying that “no one can blackmail society, no matter how fair the demand may be”.

Thus, for the first time, the Prime Minister demanded that farmers be held accountable by addressing all citizens. At another point, the Prime Minister said that no one should “to feel that some social group can be given preferential treatment because it can shout more and demonstrate more energetically” deploring the road closures.

All of the above is a clear delineation of the government’s position, which the Prime Minister foreshadowed on Tuesday evening when he spoke with the President of the Greek-American Chamber, Nikolaos Bakatsello. There, in a very brief but focused conversation, he framed the issue differently, sending a powerful message to farmers. In particular, stating that over the past four years, farmers have received 1 billion euros in agricultural compensation, which significantly exceeds their contributions. He also raised the issue of equal treatment, recalling that this money received by farmers was obtained through citizens’ taxes. Thus, the government’s decision to slow down farmers’ demands is dictated by both fiscal constraints and the need for social justice, since the performance of the Greek economy cannot be aimed only at a social group that has the power of pressure with tractors.

Typical was yesterday’s speech by Dimitris Tsiodras (Parapolitika 90.1 FM), in which he left all possibilities open if farmers continue to block roads. “The right to movement must be guaranteed and the government will do whatever is necessary to ensure this, and it has also stated that it is open to dialogue with farmers.”, – he said. All of the above indicates that at the moment Maximu has exhausted all possible options and is simply waiting to see how the farmers will proceed. However, it is safe to say that farmers will face a tough battle over the next few days as they decide how to proceed.

Farmers say the government is heartless. They say they will not back down until their demands are met.

Speaking to MEGA, Panagiotis Katsikogiannis, a member of the coordination committee of the Kastros blockade in Boeotia, emphasized that the government’s statements are far from what they themselves are asking for. “The fight will not stop unless our demands are met. Nothing has changed in more than 30 years. Unfortunately, I see that the government is heartless and its statements are far from what we demand.” – he said.

He noted that the answers farmers are receiving from the government are vague and empty. “It is obvious that the government does not have a plan for the development of the primary sector, and this is, to put it mildly, sad, so we are asking for specific things. And the answers we receive are vague and erroneous, you understand that there is no common ground, so there can be no dialogue “, – added Katsikogiannis.

At the same time, a member of the blockade coordinating committee, Kastros Boeotia, conveys a message of fighting until their demands are met. “The fight will not stop unless all six of our demands are met, this is impossible. We are already escalating the situation,” he says. Finally Panagiotis Katsikogiannis addressed the demands of the farmers.

“The basic requirements are common to all farmers in Greece, and they are what make the countryside bleed. Of course, each region has its own individual problems. We have a problem with water, there is not enough of it. The other main problem is that our region filled with photovoltaic plants and wind turbines. Companies are taking our fields to install photovoltaic plants on them. This is done in an indirect way where they lead you to disaster, unfortunately not everyone can resist this horror.”he concluded.

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