Several major German cities were paralyzed by farmer blockades for several hours on Monday, with the protesting farmers demanding the left-liberal government withdraw its austerity measures. However, the protests are not over, with demonstrators from across Europe expected to gather in Berlin on Jan. 15, including farmers from Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Czechia.
Yesterday, reportedly hundreds of thousands of people across Germany gathered to call on the government to resign immediately over its crackdown on the agricultural sector. Farmers blocked roadways with their tractors, causing major disruptions on highways and roads.
“After a large parade of farmers and middle-class people in Cottbus almost paralyzed the city during the day yesterday, in the evening we went for a joint evening walk with the population,” wrote one X user.
WATCH: The German city of #Stuttgart is now BLOCKED on major roadways by protesting farmers
The farmers are staging nationwide protests and say they won't stop until the red-green government backtracks on its plans to choke off their livelihood with new taxes.
According to new… pic.twitter.com/32aPxmTDhJ
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) January 8, 2024German farmers are coming out onto the streets for week-long demonstrations over the abolition of farm subsidies. They are demanding that the government withdraw the part of its budget plan that will increase the tax burden on farmers by an estimated €1 billion.
The Social Democrat, Green and liberal (FDP) federal government is trying to plug a huge hole in the budget, but cutting farm subsidies would only be a fraction of the total deficit.
Farmers also poured manure on the road near Stuttgart, in what protesters say was a criticism of the government’s policies.
In several protest locations, farmers handed out pretzels to motorists while also allowing ambulances to pass. The farmers’ association said this was a sign that farmers had a problem only with government decisions.
