Farmers are set to depart from Athens with their tractors before noon today, following yesterday’s protest rally, which drew over 6,000 participants and 160 agricultural vehicles.
Their withdrawal from the city center will be coordinated according to the plan laid out by the police, while those who arrived in Athens by bus left last night. Traffic police are on alert, with traffic regulations that began yesterday extending to the city streets today.
As stated in the announcement by the Hellenic Police the departure is expected to commence in the early hours of the morning, and is anticipated to be completed by noon, with the presence of traffic police to assist the public.
Meanwhile, farmers from Thessaly have stated that they plan to meet with the prime minister next week to discuss issues regarding the damages in the Thessalian plain due to the catastrophic floods last fall.
Furthermore, farmers are set to hold general assemblies at the roadblocks today and tomorrow in order decide the future of their protests. As stated by Rizos Maroudas, a member of the coordinating committee of the roadblocks, speaking on public broadcaster ERT TV yesterday, they are considering either blocking roads or pursuing other forms of mobilization.
Police reports estimate that there were at least 6,000 people and over 160 tractors and agricultural machines at the rally in Syntagma Square.
Farmers from all over Greece protested with slogans and banners for their livelihoods and the importance of the primary sector for society as a whole. They emphasized that the announced return of the Special Consumption Tax was not enough, and they demand that the price per kilowatt-hour drops to 7 cents for the agricultural sector.
