The standoff between the Greek government and protesting farmers intensified on Tuesday as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the removal of road blockades.
Following a heated 3.5-hour meeting with representatives from fourteen blockade sites, the Prime Minister warned that authorities would intervene as early as Thursday if the disruptions persisted.
Mitsotakis stated that the government’s patience has reached its limit, accusing a “partisan minority” of “blackmailing society” through illegal blockades. While the Ministry of Citizen Protection has previously avoided direct confrontation, officials indicated that police action is now on the table to restore order.
He emphasized that the government “showed great tolerance to mobilizations of farmers from the very start, recognizing the existing problems. That is why it responded to many of their demands, requesting, however, at the same time, a sincere dialogue, as the one we carried out today.”
Unfortunately, he said, “a party-affiliated minority persists in some of the roadblocks, openly blackmailing society. However, forty-five days later, this hardship cannot continue. The government has exhausted the economy’s tolerance, supporting farmers as never before.
Despite the friction, the government unveiled a series of concessions, including Europe’s lowest electricity tariffs for consistent farmers and tax exemptions on agricultural diesel. However, groups that boycotted the talks remain defiant, proposing a tractor march on Athens to demand a meeting on their own terms.
Related: Greek Farmers Signal Readiness for Dialogue Amid Escalating Roadblocks