Athens hit by farmers' protest ahead of bailout meeting

By Idyli Tsakiri

ATHENS (AA) - Thousands of Greek farmers protested in Athens on Tuesday ahead of a high-level meeting between the government and the European Commission to review the struggling country’s financial bailout.

About 3,000 farmers from all over the country converged in the capital to protest against the government’s austerity policies and what they described as high taxation.

Farmers have been blocking major highways around the country for the past three weeks, demanding lower insurance costs and taxes.

In the past two years, farmers have seen an increase in their insurance contributions as well as a rise in taxation while their income suffered due to the country’s economic crisis.

One protestor, Dimitris Gatanos from northern Greece, told Anadolu Agency he and his colleagues were unwilling to pay the taxes imposed on them.

“The members of the parliament and those who stole from the state should pay them,” he said.

According to Gatanos, it is the misuse of money by Greek politicians which lead the country to suffer, resulting in its ongoing strict austerity measures.

The farmers gathered outside the Ministry of Agriculture in Athens and marched to parliament. Farmers' unions are to meet Greek Agriculture Minister Vangelis Apostolou and Deputy Prime Minister Giannis Dragasakis on Wednesday.

Their protest also comes a day before European Commissioner Pierre Moscovici’s visit to Greece to meet Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos to discuss a second review of the country’s bailout program.