In a statement, SYRIZA said Marinakis’ comments provided political cover for remarks made earlier by health minister and deputy prime minister Adonis Georgiadis, who had described the agricultural blockades as ‘fascist’. The party said the government was going further by adopting what it described as a strategy of tension, division and political toxicity, which it attributed directly to the choices of prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
SYRIZA–PS also warned the government against attempting to undermine or derail the prime minister’s forthcoming meeting with representatives of the agricultural blockades, scheduled for next Monday. It said the situation reflects an inability on the part of Mitsotakis to confront people who are struggling to sustain their livelihoods.
The statement comes after Georgiadis publicly attacked the farmers’ protests, describing them as ‘disgusting’, ‘illegal’ and ‘fascism’. In the same context, he argued that all agricultural subsidies should be abolished, saying that subsidies encourage what he described as ‘convenience’ rather than the development of competitive products.
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