Food is an essential human need that requires ongoing production in the modern world.
Agriculture — organized food production — represented the first vital steps toward human civilization, making possible permanent settlements and specialized trades, enabling culture to flourish.
And it will be humanity’s last steps — without food production, we would descend into anarchy.
The left keeps pushing farmers out of production, and now farmers in France are pushing back.
On Monday, thousands of French farmers led by the National Federation of Farmers Unions and the Young Farmers movement descended on the capital city of Paris, staging a massive protest over agricultural policies they say are threatening their livelihoods, according to The Washington Post.
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Dubbed “Operation Paris Siege,” farmers used hundreds of tractors to block major highways leading into the city, causing large traffic disruptions. Organizers said they aimed to encircle the capital and choke off access routes in order to put pressure on the government.
INCREDIBLE SCENES 🚜🇫🇷
Thousands of farmers arriving on the motorway to BLOCKADE the city of Paris in protest of the green agenda.
All of Europe is saying NO to Climate Communism. pic.twitter.com/hhWKb3QsX0
— PeterSweden (@PeterSweden7) January 29, 2024
The farmers were protesting potential cuts to fuel subsidies as well as new environmental regulations aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from agriculture. Farmers say these changes and global competition are making it increasingly difficult to earn a living through farming.
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“This is the final battle for farming. It’s a question of survival,” Karine Duc, a farmer from southwestern France, told Agence France-Presse, according to the Post. Other protesters carried banners reading “Proud to Feed You!” and “We Will Not Die in Silence.”
One member of the French Farmers Union told the news outlet Le Parisien, according to the Post, “We will probably block until Thursday. If the pressure is not strong enough, we can go further in blocking. … We must hold on day and night.”
However, the protests did not have any incidence of violence other than the burning of a few tires and hay bales.
France isn’t the only country dealing with farmer unrest over over-regulation.
In Germany, about 100 tractors parked on roads blocking access to Hamburg’s bustling international shipping hub, the nation’s largest port and one of the biggest in Europe, according to the U.K. Sun.
WOAH
Tractors as far as the eye can see.
Massive farmers protest in Germany
Did you see this on the news? 🚜🇩🇪 https://t.co/mRyuDaHtlB
— PeterSweden (@PeterSweden7) January 29, 2024
Other blockade actions targeted ports in Wilhelmshaven and Bremerhaven as well, the Sun reported.
The blockades were part of over a month of demonstrations by German farmers against proposals put forward by Chancellor Olaf Scholz that would scrap certain subsidies and financial supports for the agriculture industry.
While the government has since backed off slightly, promising to reinstate tax benefits and phase out other cuts over several years, farmers have vowed to continue protesting until the plans are reversed completely.
On Saturday, Romanian protesters briefly blocked a border crossing with Ukraine in northeast Romania, as well as the entrance to the key Black Sea port of Constanta, according to VOA News.
The protesters were demanding solutions to issues like costly mandatory insurance policies, high diesel fuel taxes, and sluggish disbursal of European Union farm subsidies, which they rely on.
🚨Farmer protests are now spreading across Europe.
France 🇫🇷
Poland 🇵🇱
Romania 🇷🇴
Germany 🇩🇪
Lithuania 🇱🇹
Italy 🇮🇹
Belgium 🇧🇪
Scotland 🏴
Netherlands 🇳🇱Farmers express frustration with their governments and EU due to excessive bureaucracy, green regulation, low wages,… pic.twitter.com/TaYtNuBFTn
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) January 25, 2024
While each protest stems from specific national policies, they collectively highlight the economic fragility of rural livelihoods. Squeezed by rising costs and feeling the constant weight of the government’s influence on their businesses, family farms increasingly face an existential crisis.
Many farmers feel ignored by ruling coalitions, which focus more on pleasing climate activists, squeezing family farms out of business in favor of automated mega-farms.
As the rumble of the tractors around Europe increases, it’s beginning to sound more like a roar.
