Angry Greek farmers clash with police on Crete

Athens: Farmers on Crete on Monday clashed with riot police near the Greek island s international airports in a burgeoning protest wave related to an...

Athens: Farmers on Crete on Monday clashed with riot police near the Greek island's international airports in a burgeoning protest wave related to an EU subsidy probe.

State TV ERT 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.

There were also skirmishes near the island's Heraklion airport after farmers tried to bypass a police roadblock.

Thousands of Greek farmers have since late November blocked highways, mainly in the center and north of the country, to demand faster access to EU subsidies delayed by an ongoing probe into multi-million fraud.