Paris has been invaded this morning by more than 100 tractors driven by furious farmers. Just before dawn, a tree was felled by the protestors in the west of the capital close to the Roland Garros tennis stadium. The farmers have warned more will follow. ‘They want to slaughter our cows, so we’re going to slaughter their trees,’ one farmer told reporters.
This is the France that the Paris elite despises: the France that loves its traditions, that works hard, pays its taxes and despairs at the country’s chronic mismanagement
There have been other acts of rebellion in the country. Access to the southern city of Rodez has been blocked and a fuel depot near Bordeaux has been encircled by tractors. There are also barricades on several motorways. Responding to the invasion of the capital, a government spokeswoman described the farmers’ actions as ‘illegal’, adding that they ‘will not stand for it’.
Bertrand Venteau, president of Coordination Rurale (the second largest farmers’ union), called the comments ‘despicable’ and drew attention to the two-tier response of the government. ‘There are [inner-city] riots everywhere, where there is a high level of tolerance,’ he said. ‘Yet today, it’s a refusal to compromise.’
The protests have been timed to coincide with Friday’s vote in the EU regarding the Mercosur trade deal with South America. Europe’s farmers regard the agreement as unfair and another nail in the coffin of their industry.
Protests erupted in Brussels shortly before Christmas, a time when another crisis hit French farming. An outbreak of Lumpy skin disease prompted the government to order the slaughter of several cattle herds in the south of the country; farmers rallied to support the affected farms and in response the police dispersed them with armoured cars and a helicopter.
This provoked widespread condemnation from the public and most political parties. Several right-wing MPs compared the government’s softy-softly approach to dealing with drug cartels with their robust response to middle-aged farmers.
In an interview this morning, transport minister Philippe Tabarot stressed that the government does not regard farmers as ‘the enemies of the country’. He declared that ‘we agree on a number of issues…whether it be on the common agricultural policy, vaccination, or opposition to Mercosur.’
That will be put to the test in the coming days. Emmanuel Macron has been backed into a very tight corner. Should he defy the EU by refusing to endorse the Mercosur deal, it will severely damage his Europhile credentials and probably wreck his ambition of replacing Ursula von der Leyen one day as president of the EU commission.
But if he supports the deal he will not only enflame the farmers’ still further but it may bring down his fragile government. In an interview on Wednesday evening, Bruno Retailleau, the president of the centre-right Republicans, warned that ‘if the president of the Republic votes for Mercosur, after all his statements, he runs the risk of censure’. A motion of no confidence in the government would be called and it would be supported by most of the left and the right.
In his New Year’s address last week Macron expressed his wish that 2026 will be one of ‘Unity, strength, hope’. Fat chance. A poll this morning revealed that 77 per cent of French people are pessimistic for the year ahead.
None are more gloomy than the farmers. ‘The survival of farmers is what this is all about,’ said Karine Duc, a farmer herself and the president of the Lot-et-Garonne Chamber of Agriculture. ‘It’s not just about Lumpy skin disease and Mercosur. We can’t let our profession die out. We’re heading for disaster. Economically and humanly, it’s unbearable.’
Similar words were heard on the lips of British farmers in November when they staged a protest in their tractors outside parliament. Their grievance was the government’s intention to put inheritance tax on farm businesses worth more than £1million, since watered down. But it was also a cry of rage from an industry which across western Europe feels abandoned by the political class. In the words of one placard seen on a British tractor: ‘Dear London sorry … I’m here to fight for my future!’
In the week before Christmas, French farmers called a truce to their protests so that they and the gendarmerie could be with their families. As one motorway blockade in the Corrèze was lifted, the farmers addressed the gendarmes facing them. ‘We’re going to sing the Marseillaise for you,’ said their leader. ‘We’re proud of our country. We are proud of our France. We are proud of our gendarmerie and our police, and we are proud of our farmers and our agriculture.’
A clip of the incident went viral. This is the France that the Paris elite despises: the France that loves its traditions, is proud of its history, that works hard, pays its taxes and despairs at the chronic mismanagement of the country. This is the silent majority, three quarters of whom according to polls support the farmers.
Should the government mishandle the farmers’ anger they may soon have a much bigger protest on their hands.
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