Greek riot police quell farmer protest

By Kerin Hope
Published: February 2 2009 17:07 | Last updated: February 2 2009 17:07
Riot police took over the port of Piraeus on Monday to stop about 1,200 olive oil producers from the island of Crete from driving tractors into central Athens, as protests by farmers moved into a third week.

A Socialist opposition member of parliament was slightly injured when police fired tear gas at a group of farmers trying to break through a dockside barrier.

“We came to Athens to pursue our rights but the police blocked us from holding a peaceful demonstration, so we will stay here,” said a farmers’ representative.

The arrival of the Cretans with more than 200 tractors transported by coastal ferries, threatened a renewal of unrest after most protests ran out of steam at the weekend.

Farmers on the Greek mainland on Sunday lifted more than 60 tractor blockades on main roads to the capital and at border crossings with Macedonia and Turkey.

The main crossing with Bulgaria at Promachonas where local farmers joined the Greek protesters was opened intermittently on Monday to allow trucks through.

Cretan producers are demanding a larger share of a proposed €500m government support package to compensate growers for crop damage and falling commodity prices.

Sotiris Hatzigakis, Greece’s farm development minister, on Monday presented the package in Brussels for approval by the European Commission.

In Crete – the largest and wealthiest Greek island that exports olive oil worldwide – protesters on Monday blocked the main west-east highway and surrounded the regional governor’s office in the capital Heraklion.

Producer prices for high-quality olive oil have fallen to about €1.80 a kilo from €3 last year, according to farmers.

The sustained protest by Cretans, who overwhelmingly support the opposition Socialists, raises a fresh challenge for the centre-right government of Costas Karamanlis, the prime minister.

With only a one-seat overall majority in parliament, the government’s position remains precarious after violent demonstrations in December followed the killing by a police officer of a 15-year-old schoolboy in Athens.

Farmers’ representatives said on Monday they would continue the protests until the government makes concessions over demands for tax rebates for citrus and vegetable growers on Crete as well as olive oil producers.

The stand-off in Piraeus paralysed coastal shipping operations to Crete and several Aegean islands. The farmers said they would remain in the port after reaching a deal with ferry operators to stay aboard ships overnight.