“By the weekend the blockades by farmers will be at least 20, with the number of vehicles reaching close to 10,000,” declared Larissa farmer union leader Christos Sideropoulos from the Nikaia blockade, speaking to Parapolitika 90.1 on the show “Opposite Microphones” with journalists Sotiris Xenakis and Vasilis Skouris. Mr. Sideropoulos emphasized that “until the weekend there is no discussion about anything, first the blockades will be established, we will assess our forces and from next week dialogue opens. We are not asking for a meeting with the Prime Minister, the blockades are in Thessaly and throughout Greece – the Prime Minister’s staff can come to Thessaly at any time from next week, farmers’ doors are open. Once Mr. Laliotis came to Tempi because it was the Prime Minister’s order – if they do something similar.”
Initially, regarding the attack he suffered from police officers, he said: “I am at home under doctor’s orders with painkillers, I have fractured ribs, we will overcome this too. Suddenly I receive an attack from the Officer, I turn around and see that it wasn’t just a simple policeman – he was the person in charge of the procedure. I turn and tell him ‘what are you doing, now you decide to attack?’ It’s clear in the videos that I receive a specific attack where he says ‘Sideropoulos you’re finished, you’re under arrest.’ I was shocked. In the next phase he throws me down, I receive a knee to the ribs, he put his knee on my neck, people were shouting ‘calm down’, I also had a small surgery on my small intestine. It was an intentionality that I cannot describe.
I am not unknown, I’ve been at blockades for 30 years, I have never clashed personally. My role was to protect the procedure because anger generates things and we wanted to prevent those. There were farmers who had stones in their hands, sticks, we were shouting at them ‘no, stop this, it’s not right, we will injure people who received this order to obstruct us primarily, not to be beaten’, but the officer’s behavior…”
Farmers: “Solutions must be found and they are not only financial”
He continued: “We farmers are in a very difficult situation. What we have been conveying for months to both the government and political parties is that solutions must be found and these solutions are not only financial. The delay of money from European programs that have come to our country – for the farmer-investor with machinery, equipment, livestock facilities to receive approval for a financial amount and put in 40% of the investment himself, and then the state comes and says ‘the file is approved, you take the machinery, you sign the promissory notes’ and it takes 1.5-2 years to settle the file. Who is this Secretary who holds the money, does whatever he thinks with it and the farmer cannot be paid? These notes expired, these notes have made young farmers abandon everything…
Right now we know what’s happening at customs, we know that by the weekend the blockades will be at least 20, the number of vehicles will be close to 10,000… We want data to go to the Prime Minister, 4 tax numbers of livestock farmers and 4 tax numbers of farmers from all over Greece for the Prime Minister to see the amount of EU support received in 2020 and what was received in 2025. For example, in 2020 someone who entered the economic support procedure received 5,000, now with minus 45% they receive 2,800 – the question to OPEKEPE and the administrators is where did the money go? They play dumb and say ‘I don’t know.’ What do you mean you don’t know? The Prime Minister will be shocked…”
“Until the weekend there is no discussion about anything”
Finally he emphasized that: “Until the weekend there is no discussion about anything, first the blockades will be established, we will assess our forces. From next week dialogue opens. We have the diesel issue that while the Prime Minister recognized it and the first procedures were given from ’24, because AADE made an error with the invoice code concept, 120,000 farmers have not received diesel refunds. It may be simple but it must be resolved. On energy, the Prime Minister in 2024 said whoever pays is at 9 cents, whoever has a delay will go to 11 cents, this was not maintained – we are at 18 cents. I get a bill from DEI every month – is it possible for a farmer who gets paid two or three times a year to pay every month? I missed three installments, I was removed from the 9-cent procedure and went to 18 cents – this needs legislative regulation, not ministerial announcements. Let’s go to production costs. 250€ increase per ton for fertilizer, why? There must be control, we must establish order in the cost issue and this requires legislative regulation.
We are not asking for a meeting with the prime minister now, the blockades are in Thessaly and throughout Greece – the Prime Minister’s staff can come to Thessaly at any time from next week, farmers’ doors are open. Once Mr. Laliotis came to Tempi because it was the Prime Minister’s order – if they do something similar.”
