Greek riot police fired tear gas at farmers protesting against pension reform measures on Friday. The Greek farmers hurled stones at the agriculture ministry in central Athens ahead of a major demonstration outside parliament scheduled for later in the day. Farmers from across the country flocked to the capital to voice their outrage at Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s government plans to raise pension contributions and taxes to deal with Greece’s budget deficit. At one point, an outnumbered riot police unit was forced to flee up a street with Cretan farmers wielding staffs and pieces of wood in pursuit. Greece: #Farmers march to the Agriculture Ministry in #Athens. Riot police at the entrance. pic.twitter.com/XZV9g2Ww0f — Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) February 12, 2016 Ekathimerini.com reports: Under the planned reform of the pension system demanded by Greece’s international lenders, farmers face a tripling of their social security contributions and higher income tax. They have been blockading motorways across Greece for over three weeks. Greece’s left-leaning government says the step is necessary to ensure future pensions for the group, whose benefits have so far been almost completely subsidized by the state. About 800 farmers from the island of Crete arrived in Athens early on Friday [...]