New escalation by farmers: National highway to Athens closed at 12 noon

After a break over the Christmas holidays, farmers are back with new blockades of national highways and bypass roads, and they are planning to block customs posts once again.

Today, Saturday (12/27), the national highway will be closed indefinitely starting at 12:00 p.m. in the direction of Athens near Malgaros, while farmers are planning new actions at the remaining roadblocks in Thessaloniki. The lane heading toward Thessaloniki, on the other hand, will remain open.

At the same time, a blockade is scheduled for the Evzones and Promachonas customs posts today, while as part of the protests, the road at the Chalkidona interchange is scheduled to be closed again for three hours this afternoon.

In Chalkidona, farmers say they will block the intersection on the old Thessaloniki–Edessa National Highway after 3:00 p.m. for about two to three hours. Meetings will also be held in Derveni and Prasina Fanaria, while at 12:00 p.m. the Evzones customs office will be temporarily closed; the duration of the blockade has not been announced.

The farmers are calling on the residents of Thessaloniki to stand with them and come to the roadblock on Sunday to exchange greetings and draw strength from one another.

Despite these measures, a special traffic plan has been organized for New Year’s Day travelers, while at the same time, producers make it clear that they will continue to pressure the government until their demands are met.

Specifically, the overpass in Nikaia will be closed today, Saturday, as farmers prepare their proposals for the meeting at the Vasiliko Blockade.

The overpass opened to traffic on Wednesday, significantly easing the flow of vehicles. Starting Saturday, however, farmers decided to close it again, though it is expected to reopen on New Year’s Eve.

On Monday, the farmers say they plan to block the bypass roads, though they will reopen them to facilitate travel for vacationers.

On New Year's Day, travelers will follow the same route as they did at Christmas, as the flyover will be open and vehicles traveling from Thessaloniki to Athens will be diverted at the Platykampos interchange, via the old National Highway and will re-enter the highway at the Kileler interchange.

Farmers in Thessaly Are Determined to Escalate Their Protests Further

On Sunday and Monday, farmers in Nikaia will escalate their protests with symbolic actions, and starting Tuesday, they will return to their Christmas-themed protests to make things easier for New Year’s.

Rizos Maroudas, President of the United Federation of Agricultural Associations of Larissa, warned that «we will pressure the government in the coming days to find solutions. If long-standing problems are not resolved, we will not back down.».

Farmers say they will sit down at the negotiating table with the government once they receive substantive responses to their demands.

According to the Ministry of Rural Development, of the 27 requests made by farmers, 20 have either been granted or are currently being processed, while measures will be taken, among other things, to provide cheaper electricity and a refund of the special consumption tax on diesel fuel at the pump.

Farmers from all over Western Macedonia remain at the roadblock and plan to escalate their protests in the coming days.

Christmas at the Roadblocks

Farmers« roadblocks remain in place across the country, with thousands of tractors lined up on national highways, as producers prepare to make critical decisions regarding the escalation of their protests. As they point out, »they have not received any concrete assurances from the government” that their demands will be met.

According to the farmers, approximately 3,000 tractors are lined up along the E65 highway, though traffic has not been disrupted. «Traffic is flowing normally,» they emphasize, as one or two lanes have been opened on all national highways, allowing Christmas travelers to move smoothly.

Despite their presence on the streets, the farmers spent the holidays at the roadblocks, setting up impromptu Christmas Eve celebrations. They lit bonfires and, together with their families, celebrated on the highways, sending a message of determination.

Anestidis: They haven't frozen «Frappe's» accounts, but they froze mine?;

«I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m as clean as a whistle,» said, among other things, Kostas Anestidis, a farmers’ union representative from the Malgaros roadblock in Thessaloniki, speaking Friday afternoon on the Open TV station.

As he noted, «I wasn’t under investigation. My case went straight to the prosecutor and then to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office without my being notified. I haven’t committed any irregularities. I’m as clean as a whistle. We all saw my statements together; they were broadcast live.«.

Responding to questions about developments following the seizure of his assets, Mr. Anestidis said: «I haven’t received any official documents yet. My lawyer told me that we’ll likely receive it tomorrow. We’re learning everything from the news reports; I don’t have anything in my hands.».

«If there had been any irregularity, they should have notified me, as is usually the case. There are thousands of tax ID numbers stuck in limbo here. Was their money seized? No. As for “Frappe,” we’ve heard that neither his accounts nor anything else has been seized, nor has he been criminally prosecuted. This whole mess has fallen on me. I have nothing to fear because I’m in the clear. If I did it for other reasons, we’ll see—it will come to light. I believe that justice will take its course,» he added.

He also pointed out that «at noon today, the bank accounts of a colleague of mine were also frozen.».