Athens — Greece’s government on Tuesday sought to reimpose order on Crete after farmers blocked the island’s two main airports in a show of force to demand the payment of EU subsidies.

With several flights canceled or delayed at Heraklion and Chania airports, police reinforcements were sent from Athens, state TV ERT said.

Authorities are reportedly seeking to arrest more than 100 protesters after scores of farmers on Monday overpowered riot police, assaulting them with stones and clubs and smashing two police vehicles.

In Heraklion, farmers occupied the airport runway. In Chania, they occupied the airport building, allowing only a few flights to operate.

Protests began in late November mainly in the center and north of Greece but have since spread. The farmers — who say they are also struggling with a sheep pox epidemic — have ignored government calls not to escalate the protest ahead of the end-of-year holidays.

They are demanding the immediate payment of millions of euros in European Union subsidies whose disbursement has been slowed as authorities police fraudulent payment claims going back several years.

In May, EU prosecutors alleged that thousands of suspects — many of them not farmers — had for years made claims for land they did not own, and exaggerated livestock numbers.

Greek officials say more than 30 million euros ($35 million) of false claims were made.

The government has vowed that no legitimate farmers will lose money and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday insisted the government was open to dialogue with farmers’ representatives but warned against “blind” protests.