Although the Minister of Rural Development, Kostas Tsiaras, appeared yesterday open to even going to the blockades to engage in dialogue with farmers, the representatives of the blockades do not seem willing to discuss matters with the government. And with the nationwide coordination meeting scheduled for January 3, they are preparing to further harden their stance, announcing even more dynamic mobilizations, while some are even proposing a “blackout,” effectively cutting Greece in two.

According to reliable information from protothema.gr, while publicly the government insists on calling for dialogue, internally the climate has begun to shift. At yesterday’s morning briefing—the first after the Christmas break and the day after the major hardship experienced by holiday travelers on the national highways—associates of the prime minister stressed that the government should now consider other forms of management, with a tougher stance. For these government officials, it has become clear that the farmers do not want to engage in a reasonable dialogue, despite individual voices coming from various blockades across Greece.

One possible course of action would be to leave the agricultural mobilizations to the… test of time and see how long the protesting farmers can endure. However, other proposals are also on the table, including the imposition of administrative fines on tractors that remain on national roads. According to information, all owners have been identified and the process would not be difficult, provided a political decision is made. And in response to the view that this option would carry political cost, proponents of a tougher line argue that the government is already paying a cost for its “lenient” handling, following the long and severe inconvenience suffered by many travelers on the roads.

Indicative of the discussion underway is today’s statement by the Minister for Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, who referred to “illegal acts” by farmers occupying roads, noting that “there is the possibility of applying the law through a series of provisions, or provisions can be drafted at a later stage.”

“A series of illegal acts are taking place, such as the occupation of roads and the danger posed to other citizens. Faced with these illegal acts by a social group, the government chose not to use lawful force to remove the tractors from the roads. Instead, it repeatedly called on farmers to engage in dialogue in order to find solutions. I hope there will be a response in the coming period,” Chrysochoidis said on SKAI TV.

“Open cards” — but for how long?

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also appeared yesterday strongly irritated by the inconvenience to holiday travelers, speaking on the program “Kalytera Arga” on Action24, as well as by the argument that it is the traffic police—not the tractors—that close the roads.

“What I don’t understand, and I don’t think the vast majority of society understands either, is how someone can protest by taking a rather aggressive action—closing a road and inconveniencing the rest of society—and at the same time not want to come and discuss and listen to the government’s thoughts and proposals for addressing these critical issues of the primary sector,” Mitsotakis said.

In a particularly meaningful remark, Mitsotakis said that the government is playing “with open cards.” “And I think it would be very good if we could have the same response from the farmers. But you understand that this situation cannot continue for very long,” he added, alluding to the thinking within the government headquarters. He also directly accused representatives of blockades of “intimidating” others who want to come to the dialogue with the government.

“If we want to find a solution to this issue, it can only come through sincere dialogue and not through a reaction whose supposed final goal is to harm the government, but which in the end inconveniences the entire society,” the prime minister emphasized.

In this context, the direct attacks by New Democracy MP for Thessaloniki A, Stratos Simopoulos, should not go unnoticed. He lashed out at agricultural unionists over their party affiliations. Specifically, Simopoulos targeted Rizos Maroudas and Sokratis Aleiftiras from Larissa, accusing the former of being a member of the Communist Party (KKE) and the latter of being affiliated with Plefsi Eleftherias. “They don’t care at all about the farmers, but about their narrow party interest,” the ruling-party MP stated.