Balafas: “Many farmers at the road blocks are in fact businessmen”

The Deputy Minister of Interior Yannis Balafas argued that many of the protesting farmers on the road blocks are in fact businessmen.

According to Mr. Balafas many of the farmers on the blocks are businessmen from Crete, Thessaly, Ilia and elsewhere who employ people to work for them and contribute to the economy. As such, he argued, they cannot decide to not pay anything at all, but rather must according to their abilities.

“I would like it if the farmers had specific demands, because the demand for a tax-free threshold of 30,000 euros is unheard of and that is the pinnacle of their demands” he stressed and underlined that such demands are not only unlikely to be accepted by the government, but by Greek society as well. He also claimed that the farmer demands are not being circulated at the road blocks.