30,000 attend 7th day of farmer protests in Germany, truckers & farmers protest for 5th day in Romania

Thomas Escritt
Reuters
Mon, 15 Jan 2024 13:04 UTC

© AFP

Protesters in Berlin, Germany

Germany's Finance Minister Christian Lindner took to the stage on Monday in front of thousands of jeering farmers protesting against tax rises and told them there was no money for further subsidies.

Berlin has been brought to a near standstill by the demonstration, which filled one of its central avenues with trucks and tractors as some 10,000 farmers arrived to cap a week of protests against taxes that have become a flashpoint for anti-government anger.

"I can't promise you more state aid from the federal budget," Lindner told the crowd from a chilly stage in front of the Brandenburg Gate. "But we can fight together for you to enjoy more freedom and respect for your work."

Comment: With an 'offer' like that from the FM, one can expect that these protests, that enjoy the support of at least 69% of people, will continue.

Footage from the protests:

The protests have heaped pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition as it struggles to fix budget disarray and contain right-wing groups.

Comment: Scholz's problems have nothing to do with 'right-wing' groups, because much of the country is dissatisfied with his rule; in contrast to the farmers, he has just a 14% approval rating.

The protests surged after a government decision to phase out a tax break on agricultural diesel as it tried to balance its 2024 budget following a constitutional court ruling in November that forced it to revise its spending plans.

Faced with a backlash, the government has already said it [will] maintain a tax rebate on new agricultural vehicles and spread the scrapping of the agricultural diesel subsidy over several years.

Comment: Note that it was a fuel hike that was the last straw for France's Yellow Vest movement.

But farmers, with the vocal backing of the opposition conservatives and the far-right, say that is not enough.

"I have respect for every politician who is prepared to come to us," said Farmers' Union head Joachim Rukwied, who at one moment had to take the microphone from Lindner and beg the crowd to stop jeering for long enough to listen to him.

"The finance minister is here," he said. "It makes no sense to boo him."

The government has taken a conciliatory tone as concern has grown that political debate has become radicalised and demonstrations could turn violent. Protest leaders will meet coalition leaders later this afternoon.

Comment: Some in government might hope the protests become violent, but, as it is, the farmers, and the train workers who were also striking with them last week, caused significant travel disruption without it, and it's likely that they have other methods of civil disobedience at their disposal.

MUCKING OUT

Lindner, describing himself as a lad from the countryside who had mucked out stables in his time, sought, to little avail, to win over farmers by contrasting their peaceful protest in Berlin to the behaviour of climate activists who had sprayed paint on the Brandenburg Gate - "the symbol of German national unity".

But he said scarce money was needed for long neglected investments in schools and roads and for industrial energy subsidies.

Jeers grew especially loud when Lindner said money was needed because of the war in Ukraine.

"With the war in Ukraine, peace and freedom in Europe are threatened once again, so we have to invest once again in our security as we used to," he said.

Vehicles that arrived overnight from across Germany parked nose-to-tail along the route, and crowds of farmers, wrapped up against the cold, waved German flags and held up banners marked with slogans including: "Without farmers, no future".

The governing parties are divided over how best to meet farmers' demands. Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir, a Green, has suggested financial rewards for humane animal husbandry, while some Social Democrats want to offer higher produce prices, and Lindner's Free Democrats want to cut administrative overheads.

Several bus and tram lines closed for the protest, which was patrolled by around 1,300 officers, police said.

Disruption caused by protests and train strikes last week hurt coalition parties in the polls and propelled the far-right Alternative for Germany party to new heights.

Comment: Support for AfD has been growing for a few years now because it seems to be one of the few parties that advocates for policy people agree with, and in turn puppet politicians and the propaganda media have resorted to smearing anyone that deviates from the party line as 'far-right', and even 'extremist': (2023) German AfD right wing party secures mayoral win, popularity surges

Yesterday Voice of America News reported

Romanian Truck Drivers, Farmers Protest About Taxes, Subsidies, Ukraine

Romanian truck drivers and farmers on Sunday slowed traffic around several cities, including the capital Bucharest, voicing a string of grievances from high tax rates to slow compensation payouts.

In their fifth day of action, protesters also gathered at border areas, temporarily blocking the northeastern border with Ukraine.

The truck drivers are complaining over high insurance and tax rates and long waiting times at the borders.

At the same time, the farmers are seeking speedier payment of subsidies and compensation for those affected by drought or by disruptions caused by the import of Ukrainian cereals.

Farmers complained that they have been losing money for the last two years because of the cheaper grains arriving from Ukraine, according to a video put on Facebook by the protesters.

Russia's blockade of Ukraine's seaports on the Black Sea has transformed Romania into a hub for the transit of Ukrainian grain, especially through the port of Constanta.

The protests began Wednesday, when dozens driving trucks and tractors headed from several cities toward Bucharest, traveling at low speeds.

Some admitted being inspired by similar protests in Germany.

Bucharest authorities did not allow the protesters to enter the city with the vehicles citing a lack of authorization for the protest.

After discussions with the ministries of agriculture and transportation Saturday, the protesters held talks on Sunday at the finance ministry.

But they announced that no agreement was reached.

"There are rules that we can no longer bear," farmer Danut Andrus told journalists.

He added that he and his colleagues can no longer even obtain bank loans.

"We are no longer bankable, we don't have the possibility to operate in the country," he complained, adding that the protests would continue "until these authorities understand that their inability to manage a country is real."

On Monday, German farmers began protesting Berlin's plans to cut tax breaks for agriculture.

They used tractors and lorries to block roads across the country, including dozens in Berlin city center.

In Poland, farmers have blocked border crossings into Ukraine since November, complaining about "unfair competition" from Ukrainian counterparts and the relaxation of access rules to the European Union for Ukrainian firms.

Just last week, farmers were also protesting in Latvia and Lithuania, and actions are ongoing in France; Eurostar workers were protesting over Christmas; and, considering the rapidly deteriorating state of economies in the West, alongside the relentless attacks on professions by governments, it's possible that 2024 could see a wave of unprecedented protests across Europe; and, when one takes into account Israel-US-UK's Gaza genocide, possibly much of the planet.