Rift among farmers widens: Attack by a farmers’ unionist on Koutsoumbas — “The KKE does not want to solve problems”

A rift marked by unfastened clashes and crisp barbs has emerged wrong the farmers’ question pursuing the inaugural from Epanomi, which called for alignment successful favour of dialog with the government. Statements from some sides person escalated tensions, reaching the level of characterizations, accusations of governmental motives, and nationalist disputes implicit who represents whom astatine the roadworthy blockades.

The spark for the caller circular of hostility was lit by the president of the Trilofos Farmers’ Association, Christos Tsilias, who spoke contiguous connected MEGA. He began by referring to figures wrong the Panhellenic Committee, naming its president, Vangelis Maroudas, arsenic good arsenic the president of the United Federation of Farmers’ Associations of Karditsa, Kostas Tzellas.
“First of all, Maroudas is the president of the panhellenic body—who voted for him to beryllium president?” helium said, besides claiming that farmers who took portion successful the Epanomi gathering “received precise harsh criticism” erstwhile they returned to their blockades and were forced, arsenic helium enactment it, to “balance things out.”

Mr. Tsilias past launched a fierce accusation against the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), prompted by a enactment connection which—according to him—portrayed farmers seeking dialog arsenic “willing accomplices.”
“Since yesterday, erstwhile the KKE officially issued a connection saying that we are the ‘willing ones’ who volition speech to the government, it seems it does not privation consenting people, it does not privation to lick problems, it does not judge successful bourgeois societies, it wants communist societies, wherever problems are not solved and radical are inconvenienced,” helium said, adjacent calling connected aerial for a dialog with the KKE’s General Secretary, Dimitris Koutsoumbas.

The president of the Trilofos Farmers’ Association insisted that “there are governmental motives” down the reaction, noting: “I person been a commercialized unionist for 35 years; we person ne'er sat astatine the array with these people, and it is simply a shame to extremity up successful confrontation.” He stressed that “dialogue indispensable instrumentality spot successful an orderly manner” and that the KKE reacted “at the specified dependable of the word.” In the aforesaid context, helium estimated that dialog with the premier curate would instrumentality spot “after January 10,” saying: “We volition person spent 45–50 days connected the road. This enactment (KKE) does not privation to lick problems; it wants to inconvenience bourgeois societies.”

Mr. Tsilias besides claimed that the KKE “has radical astatine each blockade,” adding that “here we person isolated them; they are 10 kilometers away.” He referred arsenic good to however governments had dealt with mobilizations successful the past, contrasting that with the contiguous concern wherever “they are calling america to dialogue,” asking rhetorically, “Shouldn’t it hap astatine immoderate point?” At the aforesaid time, helium said helium would not be the nationwide gathering expected connected Sunday, stating: “For heaven’s sake, we person nary concern there… What is the intent of this meeting?”

In the aforesaid vein, the vice president of the Pan-Serres Farmers’ Association, Giannis Kartalis, expressed his puzzlement implicit the objections raised by the Nikaia blockade to the Epanomi initiative, noting that dialog is what is sought by each sides, provided the conditions exist.
“What is it that bothers them? Mr. Maroudas says it each day: erstwhile the conditions are created, we should spell to dialogue. What is it that bothers them? Is determination anyone present who wants to enactment until Easter? There indispensable beryllium the close conditions,” helium said.

The concern remains fluid up of Sunday’s nationwide meeting, wherever the information regarding the aboriginal of the mobilizations are expected to beryllium laid connected the table. At the aforesaid time, the inaugural by 18 blockades and farmers’ associations to talk successful favour of dialog has “ignited fires,” with immoderate distancing themselves oregon denying that the applicable connection represents them.