Greek farmers rode scores of tractors to the capital, Athens, on Tuesday, seeking financial assistance from the government as the cost of living in the Mediterranean country spiked.
The slow-moving convoy left the central Greek town of Kastro, 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of Athens, with Greek flags, black flags, and protest banners affixed to the tractors. One said, “Without us, you don’t eat.”
Some farmers carried mock coffins and funeral garlands as symbols of their plight, as they parked their tractors in front of the parliament building in the capital, where tourists usually gather to watch the changing of the guard ceremony.
Several thousand demonstrators traveled to the city center via rented buses and boats.
The farmers, whose demands are similar to those of major farmer protests across Europe, have spent weeks organizing occasional blockades on roads and in rural towns.
Farmers in central Greece are still dealing with the aftermath of massive floods that struck the country last year.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a late-night television appearance that he could not support additional tax reductions or concessions, but that his center-right administration wished to continue talks with the demonstrators.
The government took back a previous threat to block the protest. Police were deployed to help divert highway traffic.
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