Farmers on 70 tractors and agricultural machinery arrived at Syntagma Squaew in central Athens on Friday afternoon and parked their vehicles in front of the Monument of Unknown Soldier at the foot toe the Parliament to protest that the Greek government has not fulfill its promises to them.
Video:
Escorted by police motorcycles, the farmers reached the center of the Greek though main avenues. The convoy was welcomed by a crowd of supporters who shouted slogans and clapped their hands.
Farmers on their tractors enter #Athens for the big protest rally, crowds of supporters (political parties, collectives, simple citizens) welcome them with support slogans. #Greece #farmers #protest https://t.co/X1oim9pI3e
— Keep Talking Greece (@keeptalkingGR) February 13, 2026
Other protesters had arrived from central Greece and Evia on buses and some 200 people from Crete with the ferry.
Several protesters brought with their families, while we saw powerful young and middle-aged women, farmers by profession, driving some of the tractors.
They plan to spend the night at Syntagma Square and depart orderly early afternoon on Saturday.
The falling rain did not bother the protesters and the crowd of supporters consisting mostly of workers’ unions and association, students’ organization and simple citizens.
Στο Σύνταγμα έφτασαν οι αγρότες από όλη τη χώρα για το πανελλαδικό συλλαλητήριο του πρωτογενούς τομέα.
Οι αγρότες ζητούν μέτρα για το κόστος παραγωγής, αναπλήρωση του χαμένου εισοδήματος και ουσιαστικές παρεμβάσεις για την ευλογιά των προβάτων.#αγροτες pic.twitter.com/JziU2yf35F— john 🪡 ntin (@JohnToyp) February 13, 2026
“The problems remain unsolved, we came to refresh our demands,” protesters told media.
Farmers’ issues relate to high production costs, guaranteed pricing on produce, changing the regulations of the agricultural insurance organization (ELGA) and providing full (100%) compensation, especially for livestock breeders who saw a total of half a million animals to be culled from august 2024 until todate due to the sheep and goat pox.
.
Farmers’ representatives said these issues were raised at previous meetings with the prime minister, but the demands were not met to their satisfaction, and no government promise has materialized or legislated, so far.
“The government has fiscal space but no political will and wants to push us out of production,” emphasized in his statements the president of the Federation of Agricultural Associations of Larissa and member of the Panhellenic Committee of the Blocs, Rizos Maroudas.
“We are trying to remain in our villages, in our crops, to produce quality food, which we sell cheap but it reaches the table at a very high price.”
He stressed that they will persist in their struggle and that “it is a continuous struggle until our demands are met.”
According to state-run news agency amna.gr, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food said that as of 17:00 there was no request for a meeting with Minister Kostas Tsiaras.
Farmers, beekeepers and livestock breeders who were on the roads for over 50 days, blocking highways, tolls and customs offices, had made clear that they would hold a protest rally in front of the Parliament.
By 8 p.m. there is a concert to support the farmers at Syntagma square, protesters and supporters remain and enjoy boiled goat and fresh oranges the farmers brought with them.
According to Police estimations, more than a thousand protesting farmers, breeders, beekeepers and representative of other parts of the country’s primary sector came for the Panhellenic Committee of the Blocks.
The city center is for the time being largely closed to the traffic.
After the concert, the tractors will be reorganized so that the roads will open to the heavy traffic on a Friday night.
PS it was kind of odd that authorities disinfected the tractors against the sheep pox at Afidnes toll station earlier on Friday.
It looked as if they wanted to protect Athenians from the disease as there are neither sheep nor goats in Athens.
