French farmers marched again to remind their country and the world of their terminal crisis. Without official permission They marched at dawn, with their tractors and trucks, along the Champs-Élysées, Paris’ main avenue, to the Arc de Triomphe, another national icon. There they unloaded bales of grass, in homage to the farmers who committed suicide due to the economic debacle suffered by their farms. Two young people read the Gospel of the day. Seven tractors surrounded the monument.
They surrounded the Place de l’Étoile and blocked traffic from 4am.
The place is symbolic: the Yellow Vests arrived there, an impoverished and angry middle class, who destabilized Emmanuel Macron’s government for two years.
“At dawn, the compatriots of the Rural Coordination deposited the grass at the height of the Arc de Triomphe. The anger is always there,” they said in a publication on the social network
“The angry farmers intend to have breakfast there,” said one member, Frédéric Ferrand. “We are determined, we will not back down”
Tractors parked during a protest this Friday near the Castle of Versailles on the outskirts of Paris. Photo: AP The occupation of the Champs-Élysées surprised the police, who had authorized a march towards the Château de Versailles and not this one.
It is not the first time that farmers have occupied the French capital. At the end of January they had arrived in Paris to block strategic entrances.
They continued their march towards the chateau from Versailles, where they settled with tractors. This movement was authorized.
They also carried out a “snail” operation on the A4 motorway towards Paris, between Charenton and the Porte de Bercy. Thousands of motorists were stranded.
Battle in the famous Agriculture Hall
Farmers’ anger exploded last Saturday at the Paris Agricultural Show, when a group did not allow President Macron to inaugurate the exhibition. He managed to do this only four hours later and after the animals and people had been received tear gas and debated personally with industry representatives.
Protests by rural producers have been going on for more than a month in France and other countries. Photo: AFP The president remained from 9 in the morning to 8 in the evening in the Great Hall, in the midst of a visit protected by riot police. According to him, the incidents were manipulated by Marine Le Pen and the Rassemblement National, as the former far-right National Front is now called.
“What Emmanuel Macron said about our proximity to the National Rally is disgusting. It’s very easy to criticize someone who speaks loudly and doesn’t engage in politics. He discredits us. Today we have many non-union members. There is no politics. It is the deep anger of the agricultural world, “said trade unionist Aurelie Halllain, president of the Rural Coordination of Eure and Loire, present on the Champs-Elysées with her son.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, estimated that “everyone must respect the law. An undeclared demonstration is always an illegal demonstration.” But you said the government is taking action and the money is reaching the farmers.”
The Agricultural Exhibition closes on Sunday but the voice of our French compatriots will continue to be heard.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.