Tsipras backs farmers’ protest, renews call for elections
SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras has thrown his weight behind protests by farmers after meeting with representatives from the agricultural sector in Athens on Tuesday.
“There is no other choice but to fight for just causes,” Tsipras told the farmers, whose main objection is the change in the way they are taxed.
The farmers are also due to meet PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos on Tuesday.
Protesters have parked tractors along the side of highways in several parts of Greece. The Nikaia junction on the Athens-Thessaloniki national road is the main gathering point for Thessaly farmers.
In an interview on NET TV late on Monday, Tsipras repeated his call for general elections, insisting they should take before Germans vote in the fall.
The SYRIZA leader also defended last week’s trip to the USA, where he held talks with International Monetary Fund officials.
“I would deal with the devil if it proves to be in the interest of the Greek people,” he said.
