Tractors Converge on Athens as Greek Farmers Join Burgeoning Protest Movement

Greek farmers converged on Athens on Feb. 20 to protest mounting energy costs and EU trade policies that they say are making their businesses untenable. “There are many problems, most of all, fuel and energy costs,” one protesting farmer told Reuters in the Greek town of Kastro, some 75 miles north of Athens. “Last year was catastrophic for farmers,” he lamented. “We didn’t produce grapes or olive oil, only some cotton that was bought for nothing.” His grievances echo those articulated by farmers in Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, and Poland, where similar protests—of varying size and intensity—have erupted since the start of the year....