German farmers strike: A sign of wider dissatisfaction? | DW News

Farmers across Germany have begun a week-long strike to protest the government’s plans to cut agricultural fuel subsidies lawmakers have already rolled back that decision after weeks of angry demonstrations protests planned for the next seven days include rallies that will disrupt traffic in several regions A procession of tractors is

Expected to block off a Central Road here in Berlin as farmers bring their frustrations to the government’s doorstep political correspondent Matthew more is reporting from the brandenberg gate in Berlin so it looks like some of the farmers there have arrived we see them behind you they’re promising to paralyze traffic throughout Germany what

Are you observing yes they certainly paralyze the streets here around um the the Parliament building and the Brandenburg gate and there’s around 600 tractors that are choking up their street beside me thousands of farmers but not just Farmers a lot of other supporters who have come along to Express their

Solidarity with the farming community and really from from the North Sea to the Bavarian mountains farmers are protesting across the country they’re chalking up roads they are protesting outside local Parliament buildings they’re blocking motorways and in some cases train lines really an attempt to create maximum disturbance to to bring

More attention to their plight which they say is a tough one because they say that they are the worst off farmers in Europe in terms of the subsidies that they get and the support they get from the government they say that they’re overburdened and what’s important is

That they say that this is a wakeup call and that it can’t continue and so they’ve announced a week of protests this today is the first day and in a week’s time there’ll be a bigger demonstration than the one behind me here in Berlin so I don’t think this is

The end of it they say that they’re outraged by the federal government’s plans to reduce agricultural subsidies but um you know Matthew to put that into context some of the measures have already been rolled back after protests last week week so you know just walk us through where where do things stand right

Now yeah that’s that’s right Sarah what’s striking about this is that this unrest this unhappiness came around rather suddenly the government announced a series of measures to scrap subsidies for diesel fuel and some other um allowances that farmers receive and essentially that the unrest was so Swift

And so loud and the backlash was so great that the government said okay we will slow down the changes or we’ll scrap some of them but the government and the far sorry the farmers unions have said hold on a minute that’s still not good enough a delay is still going

To punish us in the future and so what they said enough is enough our situation is is far too precarious to allow that to happen and what’s interesting is that this has now become a focal point for wider unrest in the country I would say there’s deep the the government here in

Berlin is deeply unpopular and a lot of people have seen this farmers protest and they sympathize with the farmers and they’ve come along to show their support and people with ulterior mtiv mes alternative motives are also kind of hanging on to the protests and so it

Seems to kind of reflect a wider mood change in the country and that’s what I want to pick up on people with ulterior motives because the government has warned that farri groups could get involved what’s the situation there well there’s been um a number of warnings about this I think because of

Groups on telegram on social media channels who have been using the farmers protest to kind of mobilize their own uh supporters whether that’s far right groups or nationalist groups groups who maybe have fantasies for overthrowing the government as some ministers have referred to and I think the fear is that

That this is such a swell a ground swell of um unrest of unhappiness that other groups will try and use that and what’s interesting is the Farmers Union was the head of the Farmers Union was asked about this um and he he rejected it outright and said his members are

Committed to democracy they’re committed to the right um to to the to the the rule of law and you speak to people here and there is that concern you speak to Farmers they say they are worried about you know far right groups profiting profiteering from this but they they

They commit they they they maintain that their protest is legitimate and they cannot they can’t help if people um try to to to um instrumentalize their grievances for their own purposes but it’s striking that it has to be said at all it has to be said that you know that

It’s interesting and it’s it’s noteworthy that that is a concern of government ministers here in Berlin Matthew Moore in Berlin thank You

Farmers across Germany have begun a week-long strike to protest the government’s plans to cut agricultural subsidies. The government has already rolled back its decision to slash fuel subsidies for farmers, after weeks of angry demonstrations. Protests planned for the next seven days include rallies that will disrupt traffic in several regions. A procession of tractors is expected to block off a central road here in Berlin as farmers bring their frustrations to the government’s doorstep.

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35 comments

  1. Lets call the tax what it is, an act of class warfare. Here in Canada, they have large swaths of the population believing it's all about equity, inclusion, and all other manner mind numbing buzz words. Those with any street smarts sees the hustle clearly though. It's not even a very clever one lol.

  3. Farmers have a very hardworking life.

    They're the last people to ever take part in any protest – basically the polar opposite of the "urban freelance intelectual".

    If they lost a day of work to be there protesting, it means they have no other choice.

  12. This must be painful for the DW network, which has been a relentless promoter of climate tripe for years. Looks like some of their countrymen have about had it with the government's monologue on the subject.

  14. Why are European Governments and media not ever concerned about far left extremist. Oh, sorry the governments and media are far left! As are a lot of those far left who comment.

  15. New Zealand dairy product just got import tax free- "0 IMPORT TAX" into Asian Chinese market, so far New Zealand & British Australia are the biggest agriculture products importers of Asian Chinese market which is 1.6 billion population market. Where are the EU products in Asia market? There are lots of political marriages from New Zealand and China leaders, so New Zealand & Britsh Australia could win the market?

  16. Shut down the food deliveries to major cities and see how that works out. Although the elites may want this to happen

  18. Tell the truth – The big picture is due to the Radical Climate Change agenda which is a FALSE Premise !!! These Politicians want to CONTROL the population through FEAR. Period. This is what this protest is about. Today and tomorrow's control of the Citizenry.

  19. Thank you for still allowing Comments……….things are moving…and it is NOT about the far right…its about OUR life

  20. Farmers don't burn fuel for fun. They need it to allow you to pursue journalism, politics and other things. Let the patents out. All the patents that allow for massive gains in fuel efficiency that have for some reason been hidden. Farmers will be happy to burn less fuel as long as it does not lower productivity. Electric tractors are not capable of getting the harvest in in time. They take too long to charge during those precious moments when the harvest needs to come in between rains. Diesel is the best we have without getting that better tech out to the public. Release the patents, all of the patents.

  23. As a human being who likes to be fed real food and not lab food, I stand shoulder to shoulder with Germans farmers! Much love, from the UK. 🥰

  25. try to explain to you Lieber DW.dont start the stupidity with magic words like faar right etc
    What you see here is the DEUTSCHES VOLK, but you as " an Independent media " should realise this,good luck

  27. Governments all over the world, especially in Germany and the US, want absolute control over you. They make laws and policies impossible to adhere to. That is what they are doing in Davos as we speak. They want to take God out of our lives so that they can be your god. Do not let this happen! It is not the time to be passive. We certainly can no longer trust our governments as they are today. The most important thing we must remember at this point in history is that we must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29. Do not be afraid. Stand up! Do whatever you must! Do not let them destroy you and your land like they did in Maui! Be brave! God will support you

  29. Have you heard the way she is speaking coming out with words like angry protests angry against the government and the WEF. Yes get shut of those two agencies and we’ve won governments and WARF no good for the planet. They are not sustainable❤❤❤❤❤

  35. They're fascists. In the eighties they would be called anti-communist. Now that there is no berlin wall they're fascists. Ronald Reagon is a fascist now too because there is no wall. I don't know where the communist are now that there is no wall. It must be an invisible wall now. Also when there were communists in germany they wanted to get rid of their cows or something like they want to get rid of the tractors now. I don't know what it was with the cows though before. I don't think it was the farting and green house gases then. This is interesting if you saw things from the eighties tell now. You can see conflict brewing, and it's a post wall transience.

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