French farmers have continued their blockade of highways around Paris in the fight for better working and living conditions. All eight highways leading towards the capital were interrupted, the agricultural union FNSEA said. The blockades of motorways and, in some cases, large supermarkets also continued in other parts of France.
In Toulouse, protesting farmers blocked access to the airport, the prefecture announced. Car tires and bales of straw were set on fire. The police are trying to limit disruptions caused by the protests with a large contingent, armored vehicles and helicopters. So far, the farmers’ actions have been largely peaceful. According to a survey, almost 90 percent of the population supports the protesting farmers.
Large tractor convoy rolls on
The law enforcement officers are particularly focusing on a large tractor convoy that wants to reach the Rungis wholesale market near Paris within several days from Agen in southern France and then block it. The police tried several times to stop the convoy with armored vehicles and hundreds of riot police, as the media reported with reference to the police. But the farmers broke through barriers and continued their way towards the capital on side roads. Meanwhile, the world’s largest wholesale market, Rungis, a huge trading center for agricultural products, was secured with armored vehicles and a police entrance control.
The new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had already made far-reaching aid promises on Friday, but they were not yet enough for farmers. They were eagerly awaiting Attal’s government statement on Tuesday afternoon, in which he was expected to comment again on the farmers’ protests.
