Open-air markets fruit and vegetable producers and sellers who are holding a long-term strike in protest of a new draft bill promoted by the Development and Competitiveness ministry distribute free products in several areas.

Among the contested articles in the bill, the federation of open-market producers and sellers mentioned the decision to allocate stalls by annual lottery, the right of municipalities to decide on the ceiling in the number of sellers at markets, the separation between producers and other sellers at the market, and the fines (ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 euros) and sanctions for transgressions, which they said in their majority also carry jail terms of three months to a year.

A chaotic situation prevails at the weekly markets of Athens and Thessaloniki where producers are handing out free products and people trying to reach the stalls to get food are fighting each other.

In Kolonos market the producers and sellers watched their protest turning into a fight over food! The 100m stall set up to help them distribute their products for free was turned over by the anxious mass of people who were trying to grab whatever they could. They were fighting each other over a bag with vegetables and fruit.

Producers and sellers were not able to hold back the citizens and continued the free distribution of their products from their trucks.

There are so many people gathered there that only one line in Lenorman avenue is assigned to car traffic.

In Kolonos area producers scheduled to give 65 tons of fruit and vegetables and 1.5 tons of fish.

In Agios Antonios area producers have set up over 100 stalls with 70 tons of products.

A similar scenic unfolded in Thessaloniki, too since free food distribution takes place at Kamara.