2024-01-15 14:46:54
Farmers’ action week reaches its climax. Thousands of tractors and trucks block the streets in Berlin. The Chancellor and the Federal President warned against undemocratic forces. Christian Lindner faces the protests.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner gave a speech at the Brandenburg Gate to boos and whistles.
Filip Singer / EPA
Thousands of farmers with tractors and other vehicles gathered in the government district in Berlin on Monday and clogged the streets around the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column. Farmers, craftsmen and freight forwarders are demonstrating together against the traffic light government’s planned budget cuts. The demonstration is the climax and end of the week-long farmers’ protest, which has now grown beyond the circle of farmers.
“Withdraw the tax increase proposals, then we will withdraw,” said farmers’ president Joachim Rukwied in a speech at the Brandenburg Gate to the traffic light coalition. The demonstration sends a message to federal politics: “Enough is enough, too much is too much.” The industry is ready to talk, but the compromise offered by the federal government is not fair, but rather lazy, said Rukwied.
Ten thousand people registered for the large rally on Monday. The police have so far counted 8,500 demonstrators and around 6,000 vehicles. The farmers’ association did not give an exact number of participants, but assumed there were around 30,000 demonstrators. Already on Sunday evening, access to the city center was no longer possible because of the arriving demonstrators. 1,300 police officers are on duty.
Trucks, tractors and other vehicles block a road at the Brandenburg Gate. More than ten thousand participants are expected.
Imago/Florian Gaertner
The farmers enjoy great sympathy
At the weekend, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on the demonstrators to “maintain moderation and centre”. “Extremists” “disdained any compromise, including on social networks” and poisoned the democratic debate. It is important to keep a distance from such people and other “free riders” in the protests.
The first man in the state, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, had previously put it in a similar way: “Democrats should therefore think carefully about who they go out on the streets with and which posters they follow.” Both Social Democrats, like the Green Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck, fear that the farmers’ protests could be hijacked by right-wing radicals. In his message, Habeck warned against restricting freedom of expression.
Lindner has revised his position
None of the three politicians spoke to the demonstrators on Monday. Only Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner held up the “traffic light” flag. The head of the Liberals, who fell below the five percent threshold in recent surveys, is likely to be aware of the mood among the population. The ZDF political barometer found 68 percent support for the farmers’ protests and blockades. 52 percent were in favor of reversing all cuts. However, the “Traffic Light” still wants to stick to the phase-out of the tax relief for agricultural diesel, which has been stretched out over several years.
In light of this mood, Lindner gave the farmers a morning offering in the form of a word donation and revised his position. He promised farmers “less regulation overall” and now called the protests “deeply peaceful.” At the Epiphany meeting of the liberals in Stuttgart, he warned farmers not to allow themselves to be infiltrated and exploited, and shouted to them: “You have lost your way. Please turn back.” Anyone who wants new subsidies must forego old ones.
Tractors on the Street of June 17th at the Victory Column in Berlin: In the morning the police already counted 3,000 vehicles.
Imago/Bernd Elmenthaler
Speech amid boos
Of course, Lindner has also marked the limit of revisability: According to the minister at the New Year’s reception of the North Rhine-Westphalian FDP, he “cannot promise that all areas of society will have to make contributions to consolidation – just not one.” When he repeated this message at lunchtime to well over 10,000 participants, he received angry shouts of “The traffic light has to go” and “Get out of there.”
Possible compromises were also discussed in talks between the chairmen of the three traffic light factions and representatives of the farmers’ associations. The SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich promised farmers “structural decisions” that would bring planned economy and relief to agriculture. On Thursday, the coalition wants to submit a motion for a resolution with a roadmap for concrete relief. He didn’t give any details. The Green group wants to ensure that more income stays on the farms. And the FDP parliamentary group sees a need for reform in the bureaucratic requirements.
Finance Minister Lindner is booed almost continuously during his speech. #B1501 pic.twitter.com/8EqAyCgT9N
— Ferdinand Knapp (@ferdinandknapp) January 15, 2024
The demonstrators in Berlin were hardly satisfied with the proposals. The final demonstration by the Free Farmers “for a change in agricultural policy” will be followed by vigils until Tuesday. Some farmers want to stay in Berlin with their tractors until Wednesday, and DBV President Joachim Rukwied reserves the right to take “further steps”. He demands that the planned cuts must be completely reversed.
Even if this were to happen, the situation would remain confusing and tense. A unifying slogan on many trucks and tractors is “The traffic lights have to go”. This is not to be expected in the short term.
with agency material
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