Farmers drive tractors through Paris and block highways in Greece to protest free trade deal

PARIS (AP) — Dozens of angry farmers demonstrated in France and Greece Thursday, halting traffic and blocking key roads with tractors to protest European Union plans to move forward with a free trade deal with five South American nations.

Farmers drove about a hundred tractors into Paris and gathered in front of France's powerful lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, under close watch from a large number of police officers.

In Greece, farmers escalated nationwide protests, launching a 48-hour blockade of major highways, junctions and toll stations. Tractors lined key routes across the country, halting all traffic except emergency vehicles in protest of the contentious EU-Mercosur agreement and rising costs.

European farmers have long denounced the trade deal with the Mercosur nations of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, arguing that it would hurt their livelihoods and flood the market with cheaper imports.

Ludovic Dupeux, of the Rural Coordination branch in Corsica, came all the way from the Mediterranean island by boat, tractor and train to reach Paris. He said centrist President Emmanuel Macron has not done enough to prevent the deal from being signed.

“We want President Macron to stand by the side of farmers,” he said. “He needs to clearly tell it out loud and to impose it, too.”

Greece's main highway connecting Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki was shut in both directions at several points, as farmers demanded stronger state support.

Police directed traffic to secondary routes when possible and did not intervene to counter the blockades.

But the country’s conservative government has warned that it would not tolerate more extended blockades.

“We’ve reached a breaking point,” Yiannis Baritas, a cabbage farmer and father of five, said at roadblock in southern Greece. “We’ll stay here as long as it takes to support our families. They’ve pushed us to desperation.”

The protests, which began in November, initially centered on rising production costs, worsened by a series of crises: a subsidy fraud scandal delaying legitimate payments, and a sheep and goat pox outbreak.

The government on Wednesday announced concessions to try and head off the latest protests, including cheaper electricity rates for farmers and fuel tax rebates.

The proposed trade deal would create a vast free-trade zone between Europe and South American nations.

“If this agreement goes through, Greek agriculture is finished,” Vangelis Roubis, a protest organizer, told The Associated Press outside the southern city of Halkida.

“Greece depends on agriculture and tourism," he said. "We don’t have heavy industry like Germany or France. Production costs here are 300% higher than in Latin America.”

Roubis pointed to potatoes as an example: Greek farmers need 35 to 40 cents per kilogram to break even, compared with roughly 10 cents in Brazil.

“We want Greece to join the block of EU nations that rejects this deal," he added.

French farmers set up roadblocks across the country in recent days. On Thursday about 20 tractors were in the Paris city center, some at the Arc de Triomphe monument and others in the Eiffel Tower neighborhood, despite a ban issued by authorities, the Interior Ministry said.

Convoys of tractors “bypassed and forced their way,” the ministry said.

But most of the tractors were blocked further from the center at key traffic arteries that mark Paris’ limit.

Thursday's protest was staged by the Rural Coordination union to put further pressure on France's government, which protesters say has not shown strong enough opposition to the deal.

José Perez, President of the Rural Coordination in the Lot-et-Garonne region in southwestern France, said “the goal today is to come to Paris to express our demands closer to those who have the power.”

“It’s a strong symbol,” he told The Associated Press.

Farmers’ concerns about the Mercosur trade deal are combining with anger about government sanitary measures against the spread of a bovine disease, Perez stressed.

The Rural Coordination, which has links to the far right, said in a statement farmers expect “quick, effective decisions to face ongoing challenges.”

The EU this week renewed internal negotiations over a free trade agreement with five South American nations, amid speculation that a deal could be signed in Paraguay on Jan. 12. The deal’s supporters, led by Germany, may be able to pass over objections from France and Poland.

Fierce opposition from France derailed the deal last month.

French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard reaffirmed France’s opposition to the Mercosur deal on Wednesday, saying it threatens the production of beef, chicken, sugar, ethanol and honey, among other sectors.

Gatopoulos reported from Kastro, Greece. Associated Press journalists Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris, Costas Kantouris in Malgara, Greece, and Thanassis Stavrakis and Lefteris Piratakis in Kastro contributed.

Tractors block a highway as farmers protest in Kastro, about 130 kilometers (81 miles) north of Athens, Greece, over delays in the payment of European Union-backed agricultural subsidies, on Thursday, Jan. 8 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Farmers place a Greek flag on a tractor blocking the highway during a protest in Thiva, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) north of Athens, Greece, over delays in the payment of European Union-backed agricultural subsidies, Thursday, Jan. 8 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Women atop a tractor support farmers as they protest at the Arc de Triomphe against against the European Union's negotiations over the Mercosur trade deal with five South American nations, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Farmers arrive at the National Assembly as they protest the European Union intention to move forward with the Mercosur trade deal with five South American nations, in Paris Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Farmers demonstrate by the Eiffel Tower to protest the European Union intention to move forward with the Mercosur trade deal with five South American nations, in Paris Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Farmers gather at a blockade as farmers protest against the Mercosur trade alliance with South America countries but also against EU farming policy or mass cull of cows ordered to contain the spread of a skin disease in Paris Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Police officer watch farmers at a blockade as farmers protest against the Mercosur trade alliance with South America countries but also against EU farming policy or mass cull of cows ordered to contain the spread of a skin disease in Paris Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Tractors line up near the Eiffel Tower as farmers protest the European Union intention to move forward with the Mercosur trade deal with five South American nations, in Paris Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

French farmers park their tractor in front of the Arc de Triomphe to protest against the Mercosur trade alliance with South America countries but also EU farming policy or mass cull of cows ordered to contain the spread of a skin disease Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

French farmers protest at the Arc de Triomphe against the Mercosur trade alliance with South America countries but also against EU farming policy or mass cull of cows ordered to contain the spread of a skin disease, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. Poster reads: EU kills. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

French farmers cook as they protest at the Arc de Triomphe against the Mercosur trade alliance with South America countries but also against EU farming policy or mass cull of cows ordered to contain the spread of a skin disease, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

A poster on a tractor reads 'Mercosur, death for sure' as farmers protest at the Arc de Triomphe against the Mercosur trade alliance with South America countries but also against EU farming policy or mass cull of cows ordered to contain the spread of a skin disease, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

A mannequin hangs from a tractor as farmers protest at the Arc de Triomphe against the Mercosur trade alliance with South America countries but also against EU farming policy or mass cull of cows ordered to contain the spread of a skin disease, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Paris. Poster at right reads: Mercosur, death for sure. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

GUATIRE, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela released a number of imprisoned high-profile opposition figures, activists and journalists — both citizens and foreigners — Thursday in what the government described as a gesture to “seek peace” less than a week after former President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces to face drug-trafficking charges.

President Donald Trump, who has been pressuring Maduro allies now leading the country to fold to his vision for the future of the oil-rich nation, said the releases came at the request of the United States. In the interview on Fox News on Thursday night, Trump praised the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, saying: “they've been great. ... Everything we’ve wanted, they’ve given us.”

Jorge Rodríguez, brother of the acting president and head of Venezuela's National Assembly, said a “significant number” of people would be freed, but as of late Thursday night it was still not clear who or how many people would be released. The U.S. government and Venezuela's opposition have long demanded the widespread release of imprisoned politicians, critics and members of civil society. The Venezuelan government insists it doesn’t hold political prisoners.

“Consider this a gesture by the Bolivarian (Venezuelan) government, which is broadly intended to seek peace,” he announced.

Among those released was Biaggio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado’s 2024 presidential campaign, according to Foro Penal, an advocacy group for prisoners based in Caracas. Also released was Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and candidate in the 2024 presidential election, the organization said.

Videos posted by journalists on social media show Márquez and Pilieri embracing loved ones on the streets outside the prison. One video showed Márquez beaming and video-calling family members, saying, “Soon I will be with you all.”

Five Spanish citizens — including the prominent Venezuelan-Spanish lawyer and human rights activist Rocío San Miguel — were also released in the afternoon and, as the night wore on, reports trickled out of more detainees walking free. Relatives who waiting for hours outside one of the prisons on the outskirts of Caracas briefly chanted, “Libertad! Libertad!”

Venezuela's government has a history of releasing people imprisoned for political reasons — including real and perceived opponents — during moments of high tension to signal openness to dialogue. The releases on Thursday were the first since Maduro was deposed.

Human rights groups and members of the opposition were encouraged by the move, though it wasn’t clear yet what it represented — whether the growing pains of a government in transition or a symbolic overture to placate the Trump administration, which has allowed Maduro’s loyalists to stay in power as it exerts pressure through crippling sanctions.

For opposition leader Machado – whom Trump has snubbed by endorsing Rodríguez to lead the transition — the gesture was “an act of moral restitution."

“Nothing brings back the stolen years,” she said in an audio message from exile addressed to families of released detainees, urging them to take comfort in the knowledge that “injustice will not be eternal and that the truth, though badly wounded, eventually prevails.”

Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, expressed cautious hope "that this is indeed the beginning of the dismantling of a repressive system in Venezuela ... and not a mere gesture, a charade of releasing some prisoners and incarcerating others.”

Despite a widespread crackdown during the tumultuous 2024 election — in which the government said it detained 2,000 people — Venezuela's government denies that there are prisoners unjustly detained, accusing them of plotting to destabilize Maduro’s government.

Romero's organization said that as of Dec. 29, 2025, there were 863 people detained in Venezuela “for political reasons.”

The Spanish government said Thursday that five of its citizens, including dual national San Miguel, had been released from custody in Venezuela and would soon return to Spain.

Speaking to Spanish broadcaster RNE, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares identified the other Spanish nationals released as Andrés Martínez, José María Basoa, Ernesto Gorbe and Miguel Moreno.

Two of them, Martínez and Basoa, were arrested in Venezuela in September 2024 and accused of plotting to destabilize Maduro’s government as Spanish spies — allegations vehemently denied by Spain.

Spain’s El País newspaper reported Thursday that another freed detainee, Gorbe, was arrested in 2024 on allegations of overstaying his visa.

As the news of the release broke Thursday, families of detainees rushed to prisons across the country, seeking information on their loved ones.

Pedro Durán, 60, was among those hoping to reunite with his brother Franklin Durán as he waited outside a prison in the town of Guatire, around 25 miles (43 kilometers) outside of Caracas. Durán said his brother was detained in 2021 on charges of trying to overthrow Maduro’s government — an accusation his family denies.

Durán, who has been living in Spain, heard rumors on Wednesday that the government could release a number of detainees and immediately bought a plane ticket from Madrid to Caracas to find his brother.

“I don’t have words to express the emotion I’m feeling,” Durán said. “We’re feeling a lot of hope ... We’re just waiting now.”

Despite the anticipation, fear persists.

“Of course everyone here is very scared, but what more could (the government) do to us that they haven’t done already,” he added.

Ronal Rodríguez, a researcher at the Venezuelan Observatory at the University of Rosario in Bogotá, Colombia, said the government releases prisoners at politically strategic moments.

In July last year, Venezuela released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for the repatriation of over 200 Venezuelans deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador, where they had been held in a prison built to house criminal gangs.

“The regime uses them like a bargaining chip,” he said of prisoners in Venezuela. It will be telling to see not only how many people the government releases, he said, but also under what conditions and whether the releases include anyone high-profile.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration sought to assert its control over Venezuelan oil, seizing a pair of sanctioned tankers transporting petroleum and announcing plans to relax some sanctions so the U.S. can oversee the sale of Venezuela’s petroleum worldwide.

Both moves reflect the administration’s determination to make good on its effort to control the next steps in Venezuela through its vast oil resources after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged after the capture of Maduro that the U.S. will “run” the country.

Trump on Thursday night said that Machado may be visiting Washington next week and that he may be meeting with her.

“I understand she’s coming in next week some time and I look forward to saying hello to her,” Trump said in the Fox News interview with Sean Hannity. “And I’ve heard that she wants to do that.”

Associated Press reporters Jorge Rueda and Ariana Cubillos in Caracas, Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires and Suman Naishadham in Madrid contributed to this report. Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Relatives of political prisoners gather outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Atali Freites, the mother of Juan Jose Freites, arrives near El Helicoide, headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service (SEBIN) and a detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after hearing National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez say the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives wait at Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police, where political detainees are held, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Relatives of detainee Yosnars Baduel embrace outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Relatives of political prisoners gather outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Riot police arrive to El Helicoide, the headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives of political prisoners gather outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Police guard El Helicoide, the headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

El Helicoide, top, the headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and detention center, stands in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release a significant number of Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

FILE - Activists and relatives of prisoners release balloons calling for the freedom of political prisoners, in Caracas, Venezuela, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

Commuters ride a bus past a mural calling for the release of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was detained by U.S. forces, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)