At least 12 people were arrested in the Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday during a farmers’ protest.
They were detained after some protesters tried to pass through the barriers in front of the parliament, the police said, as quoted by DPA.
Police said in X that their officers prevented it, but several officers were injured.
Te Faw En 24 TV showed footage of protesters throwing cobblestones and fireworks at police, with law enforcement firing back with tear gas. They cordoned off the parliament building and ordered the crowd to disperse.
On Wednesday morning, several thousand farmers protested in front of the government building. This time they were joined not only by hunters and beekeepers, but also by supporters of the right-wing political spectrum.
Demonstrators used horns, sirens and fireworks to announce their disapproval of the government’s agriculture policy.
Polish police detained protesting farmer Sn. EPA/BGNES
Participants carried placards with slogans including “I want to be a farmer, not a slave to Brussels” and “To hell with traitors from the Polish countryside”.
Tractors and agricultural machinery were not allowed at the demonstration in the center of Warsaw. The police stopped more than 100 farmers on the outskirts of the Polish capital, BTA reported.
For weeks, Polish farmers have been protesting the European Union’s Green Deal and the import of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine. They want to prevent cheaper Ukrainian grain from reaching the domestic market.
After Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, Brussels suspended all import duties and quotas on agricultural products from Ukraine to help the country economically. Poland unilaterally imposed an embargo and only allows the transit of grain across the border. However, some of them still end up on the Polish market.
