Farmers across Greece intensified their protests on Friday, moving to block the port of Thessaloniki as part of a growing wave of nationwide demonstrations over pricing, energy costs and subsidy disputes. The demonstration has closed the western entrance to the city, with police securing the port gate to prevent access.
The farmers plan a four-hour protest, drawing attention to delays in government payments and unmet agricultural demands. Roads from the city’s courthouse to the port are largely blocked, with vehicles diverted via Egnatia Street.
Local support has been visible, as residents, unions, and civic organizations gathered to back the farmers’ cause.
Speaking to Vima, participants voiced urgency and frustration. Nikos Apostolopoulos, 38, from Imathia, said: “The payments we received were incomplete. The government must understand that we’ve reached the limit and need solutions now. For us, there is no tomorrow if this continues.”
Thomas Moschos from Siatista added that, with no government response, “we intend to escalate our actions.”
The Thessaloniki blockade has drawn farmers from neighboring areas, including Chalkidona and Derveni, joining in a motorized convoy toward the port. From the “Prasina Fanaria” checkpoint, 17 tractors moved along Mudanion Street to Konstantinou Karamanli Avenue, continuing through Egnatia Street to the port.
Escalations Beyond Northern Greece
The escalation comes as farmers remain stationed at roadblocks around the country, insisting they will continue their mobilizations until their demands are met. Their next coordinated steps will be discussed on Saturday at a national assembly in the town of Nikaia, where representatives from unions across Greece will gather.
Protests have multiplied far beyond northern Greece. In the regions of Kavala and Thesprotia, farmers and livestock producers staged symbolic blockades and demonstrations. In Kavala, demonstrators threw milk, straw, grapes and tomatoes at the entrance of the regional authority building. In Thesprotia, farmers attempted to block access to the international port of Igoumenitsa, prompting police to set up multiple barricades. They eventually blocked one lane of the nearby Egnatia highway.
Similar scenes were reported in Kozani, where farmers briefly blocked the local office of Greece’s agricultural payments agency, and in central Evia, where protesters shut down the main bridge to the city of Chalkida multiple times throughout the day. Reinforcements from northern Evia joined the blockade, with protesters vowing to remain there until progress is made.
At the Promachonas border crossing with Bulgaria, hundreds of lorries remained immobilized for another day as farmers continued their blockade of the key checkpoint. Long queues stretched for kilometers on both sides of the border.
On Thursday evening, market traders and producers staged a separate demonstration at the “Prasina Fanaria” intersection in Thessaloniki, distributing one ton of food to passing drivers and bus passengers in a show of solidarity, saying they face similar economic pressures.
Meanwhile, negotiations between government officials and representatives of farmers in Crete remained inconclusive. Talks with the country’s deputy prime minister and the agriculture minister are set to resume, though disagreements persist. Farmers are demanding equal pricing across regions, adjustments to subsidy rights, a reduction in electricity costs to €0.07 per kilowatt-hour, and updated fuel quotas for agricultural use to reflect modern needs.
Union representatives warn that, without concrete commitments, more forceful actions will follow in the coming days.
