Farmers in Germany organized massive protests last week. The correspondents of Aydınlık Europe, Turkish daily newspaper Aydınlık’s supplementary in Europe, followed the protests in Berlin and Munich on the spot.
Aydınlık Europe’s report covering the reasons for the protests, the demands and the views of the participants was translated from Turkish into English by UWI.
German farmers revolted against the plan of the coalition government to put the burden of the budget deficit and the bill of the economic stagnation on the producers. Farmers took to the streets with their tractors in city centers across the country. The farmers, having gathered with the call of the German Farmers Union, demanded the resignation of the government.
The reaction of farmers in Germany to the new agricultural policies is growing. The government’s attempt to eliminate diesel subsidies and tax exemption for tractors has exhausted the patience of the producers. Previously, the government’s plan to transfer the budget set during the Covid-19 pandemic to the climate budget was blocked by the Constitutional Court resulting in a deficit of 60 billion euros in the budget. The government, which has not cut spending on the wars in Ukraine and Israel, is trying to put the burden of the budget deficit on producers. Using climate targets as an excuse, the coalition government is also planning to abolish diesel subsidies and tax exemptions for tractors. In response, farmers, supported by other professional groups, have started protests.
17 June Street was closed to traffic due to the protests of farmers gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The farmers waited on the street with their tractors all day long, held banners saying that Germany’s food security is in danger and opposing the government’s regulations regarding farmers.
Reaction to the allocation of national resources to Ukraine
What farmers were saying was not only limited to the government’s policies concerning them. The farmers also criticized Germany’s support for Ukraine and Israel with banners “no more warmongering” and “stop draining our resources out of the country”. Farmers complain that they are burdened with the deficit in the budget, while resources are allocated to the war in Ukraine. One protester’s poster was particularly striking in this context: “Don’t be afraid of Moscow, be afraid of Brussels-Berlin and the USA.”
Also, the farmers were not alone in their protest. Shopkeepers and transporters in the region supported them. Transporters and truck drivers from neighboring cities also took to the streets of Berlin together with farmers. One of the participants, a butcher, shared his views with Aydınlık Europe:
“The government wants to victimize the producers. They failed to manage this crisis process, and now they are trying to get the producers to pay the bill. The problem is not limited to what we are experiencing today. For years, farmers and producers have been in trouble with increasing prices and decreasing subsidies. Price suppression by market chains is added to this. With the recently announced budget plan, producers will suffer even more. We just want to make our livings; we just want to be able to sustain our lives.”
Green party deputy protested against
Another point of demonstration was Munich. Farmers from Munich and the surrounding area gathered at the city’s Odeonsplatz square.
Karl Bär, Federal Member of Parliament for the Greens, who attended the demonstration at the invitation of the Bavarian Farmers’ Union, was greeted with boos by the protesters. “The traffic light coalition must go as soon as possible,” said a farmer who explained the reason for his reaction to Aydınlık Europe:
“What we have experienced in the last two years is a real disaster, and the situation is getting worse every day. This government is the cause of all the crises we are facing at the moment. This year I think we have generated more than 70 billion euros of tax revenues and yet the government has not been able to produce a budget in line with the Constitution. Apparently they can’t be satisfied with an extra 70 billion euros.”
“The problem is not only that we earn less, but the real problem is also that what is asked of us is increasing,” the farmer said, describing the government’s policies as “arrogant” and that political decisions are made “detached from the people”.
A successful start
An industrial engineer who attended the protest told us the following: “This problem concerns everyone, the whole people of Germany. We expect the protests to grow. When we look at how the traffic light coalition governs Germany, it is not difficult to predict that the protests will grow. So, we see these protests only as a successful start.”
Little trust in the German press
The farmers often refrained from giving their names when talking to us. Some of them said that this was because “the German press constantly distorted their words”. Farmers have very little trust in the German press. A farmer who also did not want to give his name said the following: “They close their eyes to our problems. They don’t want to see that politicians do not solve these problems. When we argue for the resignation of the government, we are labelled as ‘right-wing extremists’ and ‘racists’. No matter what we say, the media distort our words. That’s why we don’t want to talk to them.”
All photos by Aydınlık Europe.