French Police Arrest Protesting Farmers as Tractor Convoys Approach Strategic Locations
Protesting farmers in France faced arrests on Wednesday as they continued their demonstrations by driving convoys of tractors towards key locations such as Paris and Lyon. Despite warnings from the government, many farmers ignored the red lines set by ministers and pushed forward with their demands for improved pay, reduced bureaucracy, and protection against foreign competition.
The farmers’ unions have been unimpressed with the concessions offered by President Emmanuel Macron’s government and have encouraged their members to continue fighting for their rights. Serge Bousquet-Cassagne, head of the farmers’ association in the Lot-et-Garonne department, expressed his support for the protesters, saying, “You are fighting this battle because if we don’t fight we die.”
The police arrested 18 people near the wholesale Rungis market, which the government had warned farmers to stay away from. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin emphasized that strategic spots and major cities would be defended by the police. He stated, “They can’t attack police, they can’t enter Rungis, they can’t enter the Paris airports or the center of Paris. But let me tell you again that if they try, we will be there.”
Despite the warnings, a convoy of tractors from the southwest of France resumed its journey towards Rungis after spending the night on farms along the way. Police units with armored vehicles were deployed along the A6 motorway in anticipation of their arrival. The protests were not limited to Paris, as convoys also attempted to encircle Lyon, the country’s third-largest city.
The farmers’ complaints cover a wide range of issues, including rising costs, meeting carbon-cutting targets, fuel prices, inflation, bureaucracy, and Ukrainian grain imports. The mobilization of French farmers has become a serious crisis for Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who is only three weeks into the job. Attal assured parliament that his government was ready to resolve the crisis and praised the agriculture sector as “our strength and our pride.” He also promised that new support measures would be announced in the coming days.
The French government is facing pressure to address the concerns of farmers, with the FNSEA farmers’ union and the Farmers’ Confederation demanding long-term prospects for the agricultural industry. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire announced that France would prevent a trade deal between the European Union and South American bloc Mercosur, which has been a major grievance for farmers worried about foreign competition.
The protests in France have inspired farmers in other European countries to join the movement. Italian farmers staged a protest near Milan, while Spanish farmer unions announced their intention to participate in the protests. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis offered to expedite financial aid to farmers to prevent similar protests from spreading to other countries. Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Romania have also witnessed demonstrations in recent days.
The anger among farmers is largely directed at environmental requirements imposed by the EU’s updated Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the forthcoming “Green Deal.” The Mercosur trade deal and Ukrainian grain imports into the EU will be discussed in talks between Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
In an attempt to appease the angry farmers, the EU plans to extend tariff-free entry for Ukrainian farm products for a year, but with safeguards to prevent excessive imports. Brussels has also proposed a one-year exemption from rules that require farmers to leave a share of their lands fallow to promote biodiversity.
The protests by French farmers highlight their determination to fight for their rights and demand better conditions. As the demonstrations continue and gain support from farmers in other countries, it remains to be seen how the government will respond and whether meaningful changes will be made to address the concerns of the agricultural sector.