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Title: Riot police fire tear gas at Greek farmers
Source:
Yahoo/AP
URL Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090202 ... eu/eu_greece_farmers_protest_7
Published: Feb 2, 2009
Author: ELENA BECATOROS
Post Date: 2009-02-02 22:35:55 by Dakmar
Keywords: None
Views: 21
ATHENS, Greece – Riot police fired tear gas at farmers Monday to prevent them from driving their tractors to the Greek capital to demand government financial help. At least two people, including an opposition socialist PASOK party deputy, were hurt in the scuffles at the port of Piraeus outside Athens. Greek farmers have protested for two weeks over low prices for their products, using tractors to block border crossings and highways across the country while demanding financial help from the government. The government last month promised euro500 million ($645 million) of help for agriculture, but many farmers have complained the amount is too small. About 1,000 farmers, local mayors and members of parliament arrived in Piraeus on overnight ferries from the island of Crete with dozens of tractors, pickup trucks and other agricultural vehicles they intended to drive through Athens to the Agriculture Ministry. Authorities said they would only be allowed to demonstrate on foot. A group of farmers attempted to break through the police lines inside the port, and riot police fired tear gas to push them back. "This was action taken to stop people who were intent on stopping (traffic) in an entire city," government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said. Two people were detained during the clashes, in which farmers pelted riot police with potatoes and tomatoes and hit them with shepherd's crooks. The farmers' roadblocks have cut road transport across the country for days and prevented imports and exports across many of the country's northern borders. Most of the blockades were removed last week, although one remains on the border with Bulgaria. Farmers and government officials failed to strike a deal in talks late Monday. 
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