Photo: Collected

ATHENS, Dec 8, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Greek farmers demanding the payment of EU subsidies on Monday shut down the two main international airports on the island of Crete after clashing with riot police in a growing showdown with the government.

The shutdown forced the cancellation of several flights at Heraklion and Chania airports, before the protesters decided to allow some planes to land, state TV ERT said.

The burgeoning nationwide farmers' movement has intermittently blocked highways on the mainland since late November, backing the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis into a corner.

The 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 to force the police to release two detained protesters, ERT said.

They subsequently said they would allow the airport to operate until 23:00 (21:00 GMT) Monday evening.

At Chania, the farmers initially blocked all access to the airport building, later saying they would allow flights to leave every three hours.

TV footage 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.

Another protest on the island of Lesbos blocked passengers from leaving an outbound ferry.

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

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 racket is believed to have operated at least since 2018, costing genuine farmers 70 million euros annually.

- Money 'never reached' farmers -

"The money never reached the farmers, those who stole should be in prison," Costas Tsoukalas, a tobacco and cotton grower told AFP at a farmer protest gathering near the central town of Karditsa.

Approximately 80 percent of total subsidies granted from 2017 to 2020 for pastures ended up in Crete.

Mitsotakis has vowed to imprison the "thieves" responsible and to reclaim the funds.

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.