Ongoing farmers’ protests in Crete led to the temporary closure of Heraklion airport on Monday. According to police sources, hundreds of demonstrators broke through a barrier and got onto the tarmac of Nikos Kazantzakis airport.
Flight operations were then completely stopped, as reported by Greek radio. However, tourists are hardly affected by the events because there are few charter flights at this time of year.
High costs and lack of subsidies
Farmers have been protesting across the country for days against high production costs and a lack of subsidies and are demanding government support. There were also riots at Chania airport in western Crete. Demonstrators blocked driveways and threw stones while police used tear gas. A police vehicle was overturned and at least one officer was injured.
According to the organizers, the farmers in Heraklion want to stay on the site until at least late afternoon and then discuss how to proceed. In several regions of Greece, roads, border crossings and authorities were also blocked. The situation remained tense in many places. (sda/awp/dpa)