Protesting farmers shut airports on Crete

ATHENS, GREECE - Farmers demanding the payment of EU subsidies shut down the two main international airports on the island of Crete on Monday after clashing with riot police in a growing showdown with the government.

The farmers, part of a burgeoning nationwide movement that has also seen highways on the mainland intermittently blocked since late November, have backed the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis into a corner.

Angry farmers -- who are also struggling with an ongoing sheep pox epidemic -- have ignored calls from Athens not to escalate the protest ahead of the busy Christmas season.

They are demanding the immediate payment of millions of euros in EU subsidies whose disbursement has been slowed down as authorities scrutinise fraudulent payment claims going back several years.

On Monday, scores of farmers thwarted efforts by police to deny them access to the airports of Heraklion and Chania on Crete.

At Heraklion, dozens of farmers occupied the tarmac.

"The Heraklion air chief tells us that they entered the tarmac from the fencing. From 14:00 (12:00 GMT) there are no flights either in or out,"the civil aviation source told AFP.

At Chania, the farmers have blocked access to the airport building.

"Until 0700 tomorrow, nobody gets in or out," Yiannis Verykakis, the head of livestock growers in the Chania area, told reporters outside the airport.

The airport's managers Fraport Greece in a statement said access to Chania airport "may experience some delays or temporary disruptions."

State TV ERT earlier showed dozens of farmers armed with stones and clubs smashing police vehicles stationed to block the protesters from reaching Chania airport.

The police fired tear gas before retreating from the scene, enabling the farmers to overturn a police vehicle.

In May, EU prosecutors alleged that thousands of suspects -- many of not even real farmers -- had for years made claims for land they did not own, and exaggerated the numbers of livestock.

Greek officials say the fraudsters made more than 30 million euros'($35 million) worth of false claims for EU agricultural subsidies.

The government has vowed that no legitimate farmers will lose money once the investigation is completed.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday insisted the government was open to dialogue with farmers' representatives but warned against "blind" protests.

"Sometimes, the most extreme mobilisations might turn large segments of society against the farmers, who may have legitimate demands," said the Greek leader, whose home island of Crete is strongly implicated in the scandal.

The scandal has already led to the resignation of one of Mitsotakis' ministers and to a parliamentary investigation to determine whether any politicians bear criminal responsibility.

Livestock farmers are also demanding compensation following the loss of over 400,000 sheep and goats to a sheep pox outbreak, all of which were slaughtered to stop the spread of the disease.

The authorities have resisted calls from farmers to vaccinate their flocks, arguing there is no proof the measure actually works.