Greek farmers clash with police over pension reform protests
Print Edition
GREEK farmers wielding shepherd’s staffs and throwing rocks clashed with riot police in Athens yesterday as thousands headed to the capital for a two-day protest against government plans to impose new tax hikes and overhaul the pension system.
Ten police officers suffered slight injuries and were being treated in a nearby hospital, police said.
Separate clashes broke out on the highways leading into the Greek capital. On its western highway, riot police fired tear gas to disperse farmers demanding to be allowed into the city with agricultural vehicles despite a government ban.
To the east, farmers used tractors to circumvent a police roadblock and block the main highway to Athens’ international airport. That left many travelers with planes to catch walking along the road, wheeling their suitcases behind them.
In the city center, about 800 farmers from the island of Crete rallied outside the agriculture ministry, throwing tomatoes. Tension escalated when police prevented them from accessing the building.
Clashes soon broke out, with riot police using tear gas to repel the protesters, who were throwing rocks and setting dumpsters on fire.
Police said the farmers threatened to spray them with a pesticide used for olive trees if the police used tear gas. At least four farmers were detained.
Farming associations have been blockading highways with tractors for more than two weeks, forcing traffic into lengthy diversions to protest a planned overhaul of the country’s troubled pension system.
So far, farmers have refused talks with the government, insisting the pension reform plan must be repealed.
Bailout lenders are demanding that Greece scrap tax breaks for farmers and impose pension reforms that will lead to higher monthly contributions from the self-employed and salaried employees.
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