Thousands of farmers protest in Berlin
Published: Monday, Jan 15th 2024, 11:40
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Thousands of German farmers gathered with tractors and other vehicles for a protest rally in Berlin's government district on Monday to protest against the end of diesel subsidies for the agricultural sector.
Farmers, craftsmen and freight forwarders gathered around the Brandenburg Gate. The police initially spoke of 3000 vehicles. Many participants were still on their way in the morning. The police were expecting significantly more than the 10,000 registered participants. On the fringes of the demonstration, the heads of the coalition parties in the traffic light coalition want to meet farmers' representatives for talks.
The major rally in Berlin is to be the highlight of a week of action with which farmers throughout Germany have mobilized in recent days against the already weakened plans of the Ampel coalition. The agricultural diesel subsidy, which has been in place for more than 70 years, is to be abolished in order to make savings in the 2024 budget. Farms can still receive a partial refund of the energy tax - with a rebate of 21.48 cents per liter. Originally, the aid was to be completely abolished immediately. Now it is to be phased out over three years. The government has also dropped plans to abolish the vehicle tax exemption for agricultural vehicles altogether.
The German Farmers' Association is not satisfied with the corrections and is calling for the additional burdens to be reversed. Association President Joachim Rukwied, among others, planned to speak at the rally at the Brandenburg Gate around midday. Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) is also expected to attend. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and other "Ampel" politicians had already signaled their understanding and willingness to engage in dialogue. However, no further concessions on agricultural diesel were in sight for the time being.
In the morning, tractors, trucks and other vehicles were lined up in several rows on Strasse des 17. Juni and on the boulevard Unter den Linden around the Brandenburg Gate. Tractor convoys had already rolled through the city during the night, honking their horns. Demonstrators from the surrounding areas were to take five routes into the center of the capital.
Slogans such as "Tank empty - no more", "No future without farmers" and "Transport made in Germany - for how much longer?" could be read on vehicles in the morning. Other banners spoke of government failure, injustice, embezzlement, nepotism and warmongering. A model of a gallows with a traffic light hanging from it was on display. At the Victory Column, demonstrators wore vests with the slogan "We are the people".
1,300 police officers were deployed around the demonstration. The police were mainly needed to escort the tractors and trucks, said police chief Barbara Slowik on Monday in the House of Representatives' interior committee. The protection of the government district was of "particular importance". An estimated 3000 vehicles were on the streets in the morning, including tractors and trucks. A further 2000 tractors and trucks were on their way. The situation is very dynamic. A small number of anti-government and right-wing populist groups had also called online for people to take part.
The leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP have invited the heads of the agricultural associations to a meeting in the early afternoon. The Bundestag will now discuss the 2024 federal budget and the planned cuts to agricultural diesel. Lindner had dampened expectations in advance. At the North Rhine-Westphalian FDP's New Year's reception in Düsseldorf on Sunday, he said that he would "not be able to promise at the rally that all areas of society would have to make consolidation contributions - except for one". Due to a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court, the federal government has to plug billions of euros of holes in the federal budget.
©Keystone/SDA
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