Farmers’ protests in Greece escalate into clashes with police

help of civil servants, forged land ownership documents to obtain payments. The checks are still ongoing, which has slowed further payments. The funding delays come at a time when Greek farmers are battling an outbreak of sheeppox that has led to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats. Protesters have pulled out thousands of tractors to block important routes, including the main highway between Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as roads to borders and ports. The blockades reached their largest scale on the previous day. On the island of Crete, protesters entered the runway of the airport in the city of Heraklion, which led to the suspension of flights. Similar attempts were made in other places, including near airports and border crossings. Police used tear gas and special equipment against the blockaders, trying to prevent the blockade of critical infrastructure. On Tuesday, protesters also blockaded bypass roads for two hours, and on Wednesday a group of ...