The golden ratio are trying to find both farmers and the Ministry of Civil Protection in order to avoid tension and conflict next Tuesday during the rally in Athens.
According to information from protothema.gr, the Greek Police Headquarters held a meeting in which it was decided to allow to a certain extent the descent of tractors in Athens, since the farmers seem to be adamant, but this should be conditional.
It is reportedly expected that there will be a cap on the number of tractors that will have to be in the capital, while it is suspected that the Greek Police (ELAS) wants there to be a ratio of vehicles to tractors for security reasons, since the proposal of Mr. Chrysochoidis said that farmers can use their cars for the rally.
After Michalis Chrysochoidis’ initial “no”, it seems that a surveillance strategy is decided to be followed, with the ELAS headquarters specifying the operational plan for the entry of tractors into Athens.
In general, ELAS does not expect the number of tractors to exceed 170.
As for their march to the center of Athens on Tuesday, this will be done with the assistance and accompaniment of the ELAS.
In his statements today from the Platykambos blockade, the president of the Unitarian Federation of Agricultural Associations of Larissa, Rizos Maroudas, called on all farmers, livestock farmers and the people of Athens to participate militantly in Tuesday’s rally. ”
We will set out with tractors, buses and cars to reach the place of the rally to demonstrate the necessity of solving problems and getting our demands met by the government.
Tomorrow morning we start from different directions from Thessaly and all the tractors will meet at the blockade of Castle Boeotia on Monday afternoon and on Tuesday morning we will depart for Athens”
Regarding the participation of farmers in the rally, Mr. Maroudas estimated that at the moment we can talk about 50 buses with farmers who will come down to Athens and a three-digit number of tractors, characterizing as touching this fighting mood of his colleagues, since this journey to Athens is not easy.
“The plan is to have a few tractors leave today, and we are looking to meet up with [tractors] from Almyros and Karditsa, and continue to descend. We are looking to coordinate to have a joint march,” said another farmer at the same blockade.
“We call on all the people from all sectors to support us with all the problems we have as farmers so that we can have a good result,” said farmer Apostolos Machias from Platykambos.
With two convoys the Thessalian farmers at the Castle of Boeotia
Two separate convoys of tractors will set off tomorrow, Monday 19 February, from Thessaly to the Castle of Boeotia, from where they plan to depart on Tuesday to participate in the Athens rally.
Specifically, according to protothema.gr, the tractors from Platykambos via the old highway Larissa – Volos will arrive at Stefanovikio where the tractors of the blockade will be added to the convoy.
Then they will climb the National Road and reach Almyros where the tractors of this blockade will be added to the convoy. Then they will set sail for the Castle of Boeotia where they will arrive in the afternoon.
At the same time the tractors from the E65 (Karditsa-Farsala) together with those from Megalochori Trikala will join the E65 to Lamia and Castle of Boeotia.
