Solidarity with Greece's small farmers in their struggle against the SYRIZA and EU policies

Small farmers in Greece are back on the roads again. With their tractors of work and struggle, on the roadblocks, in order to survive. They are struggling, tooth and nail, in order to keep their fields and animals, so that their remain in their villages, so that we can sustain our families through our work in a decent way.

The struggle is inevitable for poor farmers. If they don’t struggle, they will be driven off their land, if they do not resist, they will be throwed on the bonfire of unemployment and destitution. 

Farmers from Tyrnavos, Central Greece, set the first blockade on Monday noon, while farmers from Karditsa, Trikala, Farsala, Larisa have scheduled to go out on the streets on Thursday. The protests and the blockades are to take place from South on the island of Crete and Peloponnese to the North in Central and East Macedonia and from East mainland like Magnisia to the West like Aitoloakarnania and Epirus.

"We are fighting and demand solutions to the immediate and vital problems which threaten our lives. We struggle against the EU's Common Agricultural Policy and the policy of the government which lead us to poverty and misery. At the same time, we highlight the need for another agricultural policy in our country, for the interests of the small farmers and the Greek people". 

- Rizos Maroudas, President of the Unitarian Federation of Agricultural Associations in Larisa, quoted from 'Rizospastis', 23.1.2017.

The All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) stands in total solidarity with the struggle of the farmers:

On Monday, January 23, small farmers from all over Greece with their tractors, formed dozens of roadblocks in all regions of the country as an escalation to their struggle against the policies that lead them to extinction.

The SYRIZA Government and the EU with their policy –policy which is adopted in the memoranda and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU- push the gathering of the land and of agricultural production in the hands of the few big agricultural business groups, forcing the small farmers to leave their lands.

With their struggle the small farmers fight for their survival, for the survival of their families. Their basic demands are:

• Cancelation of new brutal taxes to small and poor farmers. Taxes should be imposed to the big business groups.
• Free-Total Social Security for all farmers. Retirement Age limit to be lowered to 60 for men and 55 for women farmers.
• No foreclosure of confiscation of homes and lands

The class trade unions stand by the side of the small farmers and their just struggle. PAME takes continuous initiatives for support and coordination of the struggle of the working class with the small farmers. As the farmers struggle escalates the workers will organize massive support and solidarity to the farmers’ roadblocks.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNISM ©.