Monday marks Germany's biggest day yet for anti-government protesters. Thousands of tractors and now truck drivers are expected in Berlin as workers who keep society fed and clothed protest against environmental protection policies.
German police said on Monday they had placed strict limits on the number of vehicles allowed to take part in an effort to limit the impact of mass protests against the coalition government's anti-agricultural policies. Police on the city's outskirts have stopped and diverted mud-spreading trucks to prevent tractors pulling large quantities of fertilizer from entering Berlin. report Berlin Morgenpost.
Mud spreaders have been used to great effect during farmers' protests in European countries in the past, and footage of them went viral at the time. Showing the flow of wastewater Being thrown at me, and inside, government buildings as an expression of dissatisfaction with the ruling party.berlin police Said “Our colleagues detected large amounts of feces… [these] The vehicle will be excluded from the trip. ”
A tractor and truck stand near Berlin's landmark Victory Column in Tiergarten Park during a protest by farmers and truck drivers in Berlin, January 15, 2024. The anger among farmers and truck drivers stems from the government's decision to end subsidies and tax breaks for diesel and agricultural vehicles. The move was part of a savings plan by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government after Germany's Supreme Court ruled in November 2023 that the government had violated debt rules. (Photo by John McDougall/AFP) (Photo by John McDougall/AFP via Getty Images)
A tractor and a truck stand on the road during a farmers' and truckers' protest in Berlin, January 15, 2024. (Photo Credit: JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP) (Photo Credit: JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)
While police worked to quell the demonstrations, firefighters welcomed a tractor convoy in a show of solidarity early in the morning. BZ reportA fire truck blared its lights and siren, and firefighters applauded as the vehicle passed.
At least 3,200 tractors are already in Berlin, with thousands more on the way, the report said. However, police say only 5,000 people will be allowed to attend and that there will be parking lots in the city that can accommodate thousands of vehicles. Morgen Post state. Roads across the city have already been closed, and many bus routes have also been closed.
Today's speakers include President of the German Farmers' Association and Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner. Mr. Lindner attempted to address the rally Monday morning, but was forced to interrupt his speech after being drowned out by shouts.
It was expected to “significantly exceed” the 10,000 authorized participants, and the tractor area was already full by early Monday morning. Adding to the scale of the protests is the fact that truck drivers have banded together to join farmers who have been blocking major roads for the past week as part of a long-running protest against the ruling coalition. .german media Note While truck drivers and logistics professionals have their own concerns about the government, it is clear that their issues closely align with those faced by farmers.
For truck drivers, the issue prompting today's protests and their own protests later in the week is the C02 price hike. This is an additional tax levied on engine-powered vehicles driven on top of other vehicles, aimed at penalizing producers of emissions. — and rising toll road prices. 2023 summary notes These costs for truckers have increased by 83 percent, with “increased freight rates that carriers pass on to customers… if you travel by toll road through Germany from the Dutch border to Poland, a distance of about 700 kilometers, This is a dangerous amount.'' An increase of approximately 110.00 euros per trip. ”
Berlin, January 15, 2024: Many tractors, trucks and cars line 17th Street this morning with the Victory Column and Brandenburg Gate in the background. (Photo by Monika Skolimowska/picture Alliance via Getty Images)
January 15, 2024, Berlin: A large number of tractors, trucks and cars are parked on 17th Street (Photo by Monika Skolimowska/picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Tractor protesters themselves also oppose government policies that seek to raise more money for the state by punishing people who use the machines. For agriculture, this means higher fuel costs as the government removes diesel subsidies and ends tax exemptions for agricultural vehicles. Farmers claim that agriculture is dying in Germany due to “a thousand cuts” and that the left-green centrist coalition government's openly anti-farmer policies are “the straw that broke the camel's back”. .
Besides the truck driver, the farmer also has friends who are German nationals. BZ “70 percent of Germans support the farmers' protests.'' Meanwhile, the government has derided the protesters as “extremists” who “disdain” compromise and are deliberately “stoking anger.”
But the government's alarming language accusing farmers and their supporters of extremism drew some derision. die weltGermany's top ruling newspaper has accused the opposition of constantly accusing the current ruling coalition of killing democracy to silence opposition.
The chief reporter of Welts Anna Schneider I wrote this weekend It said, “As you've probably noticed, democracy is dying again. At least if you believe Robert Habeck and other Greens who see the farmers' protests as a threat to our country. What nonsense.”
Mr Schneider noted that his co-ruling Green Party was very concerned about his now infamous warning against extreme farmers who wanted to “destroy democracies” while likening the protesters to the Nazis. He said that he was in a state of being Overall, it is pointed out that “a democracy that cannot tolerate criticism of the government or non-violent protests can certainly be considered pathetic…” [because] When farmers take to the streets to protest against the traffic light government's policies, it is believed that they are against the system and against democracy itself. What nonsense. Criticism of the government is not the same as criticism of democracy. ”
Berlin, January 15, 2024: In the morning, a large number of tractors, trucks and cars are parked on the side of the road in the Central Settlement and Bismarckstrasse. According to police, around 10,000 participants and 5,000 vehicles are expected to take part in the large-scale demonstration by farmers' unions and the BGL Transport Association. The protests are aimed at the federal government's planned cuts to subsidies, including for agricultural diesel. Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa (Photo by Monika Skolimowska/picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Berlin, January 15, 2024: A large number of tractors, trucks and cars are parked on 17th Street. Around 10,000 participants and 5,000 vehicles are expected to take part in the massive demonstration by farmers' unions and BGL Transport Association, police said. The protests are aimed at the federal government's planned cuts to subsidies, including for agricultural diesel. Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa (Photo by Monika Skolimowska/picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Berlin, January 15, 2024: A police car with flashing blue lights is parked next to a number of tractors across Bachstrasse. According to police, around 10,000 participants and 5,000 vehicles are expected to take part in the large-scale demonstration by farmers' unions and the BGL Transport Association. The protests are aimed at the federal government's planned cuts to subsidies, including for agricultural diesel. Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa (Photo by Monika Skolimowska/picture Alliance via Getty Images)
