German farmers staged protests and used tractors to block road access across the country, which marked the start of a week of demonstrations against plans to phase out agricultural subsidies.
Ministers have warned that the plan could be co-opted by the far-right. The demonstrations involved convoys of tractors and trucks, some of which had protest banners that read, "No beer without farmers." Others had posters from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. They gathered on German roads in sub-zero temperatures on Monday.
German Farmers Stage Protests
Dozens of tractors in Berlin blasted their horns and blocked the main avenue that led to the Brandenburg Gate to signal the start of a planned week of demonstrations. Law enforcement personnel said that roads and highway slip roads were blocked in multiple locations across the nation, including several border crossings with France.
In the past few weeks, workers in sectors across Germany, from transport to education, have turned to industrial action. Wage negotiations in the European nation have taken a bitter turn as the region's largest economy has struggled with weak growth and households are faced with sharply increased prices, as per Aljazeera.
The next to stage a walkout on Wednesday will be rail workers and they will launch a three-day strike as unions seek a pay rise to compensate for months of high inflation. Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens warned that fringe groups could co-opt the protests.
The official's return from holiday was disrupted on Thursday by farmers who were trying to storm the ferry that he was traveling on. In a video address, he said that calls were circulating with coup fantasies, extremist groups were forming, and ethnic-nationalist symbols were being openly displayed.
Farmers have argued that the government plans to end two tax breaks that currently save them roughly $980 million per year. This is a development that they said would drive them out of business.
The incident involving Habeck drew scrutiny from government and opposition figures. In response, Farmer's Association chairman Joachim Rukwied said on Monday that they will "ensure we are not infiltrated" by such groups, according to Yahoo Finance.
Fighting Against Subsidy Cuts
The calls for help from farmers have won support from opposition conservatives as well as from within German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party. In December, thousands of demonstrators descended on Berlin to protest against the planned subsidy cuts, blocking roads and dumping manure on the streets.
The movements prompted the local government to partially walk back the reductions on Thursday. The government said that a discount on the vehicle tax for farmers would remain in effect while a diesel subsidy would be phased out over several years instead of being removed immediately.
Despite these decisions, the German Farmer's Association said that they did not go far enough, which led them to push forward with the demonstrations. One regional association also posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the situation.
It said that the protests also seek to ensure Europe-wide competitiveness by German agriculture, the future of local produce, and jobs in the agriculture industry among other factors, said CNBC.
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