On Monday, angry farmers in Crete stormed the tarmac at Heraklion’s Nikos Kazantzakis airport, forcing a suspension of flights, while clashes erupted near Chania airport, leaving two people injured.

The protests target delays in EU-backed agricultural subsidies, following a scandal revealing widespread fraudulent claims.

Farmers across Greece have used tractors and vehicles to block roads, ports, and airports, disrupting traffic and freight transport, particularly at northern borders.

Authorities are reviewing subsidy requests in response to the fraud, but farmers say the delays unfairly punish honest producers, many of whom are also recovering from livestock disease outbreaks, the AP has reported.

The scandal led to resignations of five senior officials, arrests for false claims, and an EU investigation into large-scale subsidy fraud and money laundering.