Greek riot police fired tear gas at farmers protesting against pension reform measures on Friday.
The Greek farmers hurled stones at the agriculture ministry in central Athens ahead of a major demonstration outside parliament scheduled for later in the day.
Farmers from across the country flocked to the capital to voice their outrage at Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s government plans to raise pension contributions and taxes to deal with Greece’s budget deficit.
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At one point, an outnumbered riot police unit was forced to flee up a street with Cretan farmers wielding staffs and pieces of wood in pursuit.
Greece: #Farmers march to the Agriculture Ministry in #Athens. Riot police at the entrance. pic.twitter.com/XZV9g2Ww0f
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) February 12, 2016
Ekathimerini.com reports:
Under the planned reform of the pension system demanded by Greece’s international lenders, farmers face a tripling of their social security contributions and higher income tax.
They have been blockading motorways across Greece for over three weeks. Greece’s left-leaning government says the step is necessary to ensure future pensions for the group, whose benefits have so far been almost completely subsidized by the state.
About 800 farmers from the island of Crete arrived in Athens early on Friday and rallied outside the agriculture ministry waving Greek flags and chanting: “They won’t make us bend.” Riot police guarding the entrance to the ministry fired teargas to disperse farmers who hurled tomatoes and stones at the building smashing windows and used shepherd’s crooks to repel police during the tense but brief scuffles.
#farmers protest in #Athens !! pic.twitter.com/fIgHp2A1AW — Gael Michaud (@PantVal) February 12, 2016
More farmers were heading to the capital to join the main rally, which was scheduled for the evening and was expected to test Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s resolve to push through unpopular reforms.
Some of the farmers started setting up tents on Syntagma Square, the scene of many violent clashes during anti-austerity protests over the past few years.
Police said they would not allow farmers with tractors to drive into Athens.
