Police said streets leading to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate were jammed with trucks and tractors on Monday (January 15) as more than 10,000 farmers flocked to the German capital.
Numerous other protests have been planned across the country as Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government attempts to address the budget crisis. Official data shows that the German economy contracted for the first time last year since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
German farmers protested against the policy of eliminating tax subsidies for agricultural vehicles in Frankfurt on January 11. Photo: CNN
Major traffic jams stretched across cities from east to west, including Hamburg, Cologne, Bremen, Nuremberg, and Munich – with up to 2,000 tractors participating in the protests.
Outside of cities, German highways were also targeted by protesters, causing serious traffic disruptions.
Farmers are outraged by Scholz's austerity plans, including cuts to agricultural tax breaks.
Martin, a farmer protesting in Berlin in Rügen, said: “The authorities don’t listen to us; they’re issuing regulations that harm each and every one of us, not just farmers, but everyone in this country.” Steven, a farmer from West Pomerania, said: “All the farmers standing here are worried about their livelihoods…”
Chancellor Scholz's government sparked outrage in December when it made unexpected changes to the 2024 budget draft, amending some planned subsidy cuts on January 4.
Germany's far-right AfD party has increasingly shown its presence in this week's protests. Several tractors were decorated with AfD posters bearing the slogans "Our farmers come first" and "Germany needs new elections."
Mai Vân (according to CNN)
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