According to the police, more participants than expected arrived at the demonstration in Berlin. The streets were supported by around 6,000 tractors and trucks. The Minister of Finance was booed and worked on.
BERLIN On Monday, Brandenburg Square was not the right place for people afraid of tight spaces or suffering from cigarette smoke. In the crowd, you could only move in one direction, and the röök carted despite the cramped conditions.
A steady stream of supporters went to the farmers’ demonstration already an hour before the actual speeches began. Some were from Berlin, but a large number had come from other parts of Germany based on a quick Gallup.
Representative of the opposition Christian Democrats Marcus Jasper traveled 500 kilometers from Müllheim to Berlin to demonstrate for jobs. Many jobs are dependent on food production.
“Get rid of SMEs! Greetings farmers, drivers, craftsmen, restaurant industry, doctors, pharmacies, butchers…”, read one of the protestors’ sheets.
“Your politics feel like a war against your own people,” said another.
Above all, the farmers are protesting the government’s plans to remove tax subsidies for diesel from them after two years. They also demand fair prices for their own products.
– Push your way, push your way, shouted the thousand-strong audience to the Minister of Finance who took the stage To Christian Lindner.
The boos and whistles were so loud that Lindner couldn’t make his voice heard. He only got to speak to the farmers’ speaker by Joachim Rukwied after sedation.
It was impossible to hear Lindner because of the noise. Bang bombs were also thrown towards the stage. According to the Reuters news agency, the police arrested a few protesters.
Lindner did not promise farmers new concessions. The government still plans to phase out the diesel price support within two years.
According to the police, around six thousand tractors arrived in the center of Berlin by morning. At noon, there were just under ten thousand protesters around Brandenburg Square, but more were arriving.
The unrest started already last Monday. You can read more about last week’s mood here.
Some of the protesters left in the afternoon to move towards the Federal Chancellor’s Office. Some remained on duty at the Brandenburg square and nearby streets, where the demonstration will continue until the evening.
The government is unpopular at a record high
Chancellor By Olaf Scholz the government is unpopular at a record high. At the end of last year, it has also struggled with a new budget mess, due to which big cuts have to be made in this year’s budget.
Citizens’ willingness to party has increased in recent months, it is estimated in Germany. Farmers and their support groups are not the only ones who have demonstrated against the current policy.
Last week, a strike by locomotive drivers paralyzed rail traffic for three days. On Sunday, Berlin and the neighboring city of Potsdam saw demonstrations by tens of thousands of people against the extreme right.