Greek police fire tear gas at farmers in airport road protest

A man runs to avoid tear gas during clashes with riot police after farmers tried to block the main access road to Thessaloniki’s international airport (Giannis Papanikos/AP/PA)

Riot police have fired tear gas at farmers attempting to block the main access road to the international airport in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, as protests escalated over delays in the payment of European Union-backed agricultural subsidies.

Farmers have deployed thousands of tractors and other agricultural vehicles at border crossings and key points along motorways across the country, periodically stopping traffic and threatening to completely blockade the roads, as well as airports and ports.