Protests by Greek farmers are continuing throughout Greece while gaining more and more public support. Some 6,000 tractors are continuing their blockages of principal highways. On Dec. 9 the farmers marched onto the Rio-Antirrio, which crosses the Strait of Corinth, bringing their demonstrations into Greece’s third-largest city, Patras, on the Peloponnese, another major agricultural region in Greece. The farmers are having a broad political impact in a country where the population is deeply discounted by the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his slavish loyalty to NATO and the European Union.
The Regional Council for the central Greek region of Thessaly unanimously passed a resolution in support of farmers, declaring that the primary sector is a crucial pillar for the economy of Thessaly and for the social cohesion of the region. In addition, regional governor of Thessaly Dimitris Kouretas placed the services of the Regional Authority and himself at their disposal.
Farmers’ protests and the government’s policy of deploying riot police as an answer to their demands are creating serious fractures in the ruling center-right New Democracy Party, intersecting growing discontent against the government of Mitsotakis. Two of the party’s former prime ministers, Costas Karamenlis and Anonis Samaras, have denounced Mitsotakis and have come out in support of the farmers (see https://eir.news/2025/12/news/greek-farmers-expand-their-protests-vow-to-continue-until-demands-are). New Democracy Party Agriculture Development Minister Kostas Tsiar came under fire during a meeting of party lawmakers who represent rural constituencies demanding the government answer the farmers’ demands.
The farmers are seeking the reduction of production costs, including lifting of taxes on fuel and electricity. They are demanding payments and subsidies to which they are entitled, as well as guaranteed prices for their produce. The farmers are to convene a conference on Dec. 13 in the city of Nice to discuss the next steps in their struggle. They could also be forming a committee that will request a meeting with the Prime Minister on the demands of the agricultural world.
