Protests Around The World

If there is one constant in European politics in recent years, it is the rise of right-wing populists.
However, what has long been the norm for our neighbours was/is still unfamiliar and new for Germany.

Nationalist parties have become strong throughout Europe. Whenever immigration figures rise, these people gain support.

I am sure that the AfD, for example, will have a hard time if society moves closer together.
But the opinions represented there will certainly not be completely eradicated - even in today's Germany, right-wing extremism and right-wing populism will unfortunately always be present.

As for Trump: yes, Orban is trying to copy him.

But I do hope that people change their vote if politicians not only talk right but act right - look at Poland.

The far-right populist Alternative für Deutschland was facing its first electoral test since revelations came to light of its involvement in a plan for the mass deportation of foreigners that has sparked huge protests across Germany.

The district of Saale-Orla in the south-eastern state of Thuringia is deciding the position of the chief administrative officer in a second round runoff between the AfD candidate, and his Christian Democrat (CDU) rival .

Poll stations closed 18:00 h.
The preliminary final result: the AfD-candidate got 47,6 %, the conservative candidate is elected with 52,4% (when the result is officially confirmed).


Today, there were once again many demonstrations against the rise of the far right.
One focus on Sunday was Hamburg, around 100,000 people gathered there.

Just came through my Twitter feed:


Aaron Maté

@aaronjmate
Watch Nancy Pelosi claim that protestors opposing Israel's genocide in Gaza are spreading "Putin's message," and that she wants them investigated for possibly being on Russia's payroll.

This is what Russiagate has been about since day one: embracing Russia conspiracy theories to smear critics of the DNC establishment and its neocon foreign policy.

Anyone who bought into a shred of it played into one of the most deranged and dangerous scams in history:
__________________________
(He quote tweeted a Pelosi interview in which she states that pro-Palestinian protesters should be investigated for ties to Putin / Russia.)

More McCarthy-ist or Nazi?
I guess we’ll see.

The AfD almost routinely categorises the defeat as the result of a conspiracy by the media, parties, churches and trade unions.

However, yesterday's election showed for the rest of the election year in Germany with local, state and European elections: it will be close, very close indeed. But it can still turn out well.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-farmers-block-roads-with-tractors-press-government-action-2024-01-30/

French farmers, blocking interstates.
Details at link.

As stated in the quoted reuters report, French farmers are "protesting for over two weeks", like farmers in many other other EU-countries and Switzerland.

France, btw, doesn't have "interstates" (for the very simple reason that France is not a federal republic but a 'unitary semi-presidential republic'; France has 18 administrative regions with 101 departments), those roads are called autoroute in French which is "highway"/"motorway" in English.

Thank you for the detail. Wondering if it’ll stick…🤔💭

https://www.kpvi.com/news/national_news/french-police-make-arrests-as-farmers-close-in-on-key-locations/article_68bb0b1c-fa1c-5913-84a1-167d27c0e113.html

Dozens arrested as tensions escalate at French farmers protests
Myriam LEMETAYER
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Farmers from several European countries are reportedly joining the French farmers, and may confront forces where the French farmers are being detained.

France is not alone - actually, the largest protest action currently are in Belgium. (Today, the demonstrators lit two fires outside and placed their tractors in front of the European parliament building in Brussels.)
Already facing economic losses as a result of the climate crisis, European farmers are speaking out against green policies, which they see as contradictory and unfair, and which have them worried for the future.

It’s amazing. Many of us are reading, trying to follow what’s happening, expressing support to / for their struggle and this baller protest.

Then you know, of course, that the farmers' blockades were lifted yesterday, following a call from the FNSEA and JA (unions).
(Very few blockades remain, however, at the request of the Confédération paysanne.)

Nope. Yesterday’s news that I found reported that Belgium supported the farmers. I haven’t started reading European news today.

I’ll be bringing back the best sampling I find today for posterity. Would be interested to see if you find reports that challenge what I find.

You already work tirelessly toward that goal by default.😬

It is certainly also an advantage if you speak more languages than English and can find out about the original sources (in print, online, on the radio and on tv). And not just from some obscure conspiracy theorists.

Some frontpages from this (French) morning:

Not exactly what I found today.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/protesting-farmers-block-trucks-crossing-belgian-dutch-border-2024-02-02/

Several Belgian-Dutch border crossings blocked
Polish farmers threaten closure of Ukraine border
Greece promises extra aid to grieving farmers
French government pledges more farm measures

BRUSSELS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Farmers blocked the Dutch-Belgian border and occupied roads in Greece on Friday, while a Polish union announced plans to shut border crossings with Ukraine as European protests over prices and red tape spread.
Protests have erupted in several countries, exposing anger about low prices for produce, rising costs, cheap imports and constraints imposed by the EU's drive to fight climate change.
While French farmers started lifting blockades after the government made further concessions, Belgian and Dutch farmers blocked motorway border crossings. A government traffic website showed that blockades on three key motorways remained in place on Friday evening.

At one roadblock, Dutch pig farmer Johan Van Enckevort, 25, warned the European Union and Dutch politicians holding cabinet formation talks not to ignore farmers' needs.
"We have very nice products here in the EU and we want to continue to make those products. But it has to be done in a fair way, in a decent way and not with so many rules. It just can't go on like this," he said.
The frustration came to a head in Brussels this week, where farmers threw eggs and stones at the European Parliament and set off fireworks, demanding EU leaders at a nearby summit do more.

"The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has gradually become a Common Ecological Policy, without any recognition for us food producers," Belgian farmers union ABS said in a statement.
European Commission spokesperson for Trade and Agriculture Olof Gill said the Commission's support for the agricultural sector is a constant of the EU and that for the 2023-2027 period, more than 300 billion euros will be distributed to European farmers as part of the CAP.

"Our support is commensurate with the contribution of European farmers to our food sovereignty," he said, adding that due to specific concerns raised by farmers, the Commission is assessing possible next steps.
At the Belgian port of Zeebrugge - which handles car imports and some fresh produce from Britain and elsewhere - farmers on Friday evening started breaking up a blockade that began on Wednesday and has left 2,000 trucks backed up outside.

Carmakers sending deliveries through Zeebrugge include Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab, BMW (BMWG.DE), opens new tab, Mercedes (MBGn.DE), opens new tab, Hyundai (005380.KS), opens new tab and Volvo (VOLVb.ST), opens new tab. The port said it would now focus on bringing the trucks to the port or a temporary parking area at the Ostend airport.

Polish farmers' union Solidarity on Friday announced a general strike starting on Feb. 9 with a blockade of border crossings between Poland and Ukraine.
"Our patience has run out," it said, referring to the import of Ukrainian produce.
Polish media reported that German farmers, supported by Polish farmers, were blocking parts of the border with Poland.

Farmers have also set up blockades in the centre and north of Greece, calling for a permanent exemption on diesel taxes and faster compensation for flood-related losses.

In Portugal, where tractors blocked at least three roads linking Portugal to Spain on Thursday, one road in the southern region of Alentejo near the border remained blocked on Friday and farmers staged slow marches in several places.
Spanish farmers said earlier this week they would take to the streets in February in protest against European regulations and lack of government support.
French farmers, meanwhile, were on Friday dismantling roadblocks at dozens of sites, including several highways leading into Paris, after receiving more government pledges.

"The worst of the crisis is now behind us, but the issues we have to deal with now are ahead of us," French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau said on CNEWS TV.
The French farmers said President Emmanuel Macron's government now needed to act fast on its pledges, which have included scrapping plans to reduce tax discounts on tractor diesel, an easing of pesticide regulations, a pause on new fallow land rules, and more safety checks on food imports.
Guillaume Chantereau, 31, who grows cereals and raises chickens for eggs, said a lot of work was waiting for him at the farm, but he would be back if the government does not deliver.

"For now, we ease off, but we will not give up. We are used to hearing nice speeches, and these are not always respected, so better watch out," he said.
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Round 1: farmers

This is a great lesson in what workers can do when they decide to unite.

I wouldn't call 'farmers' workers, but perhaps the words's meaning is different in German. ("Bauer" is just one word for 'farmer' and 'peasant'.)

But indeed, united farmers have been a success - see for instance the Bauernrepublik ("peasant republic"), a form of political rule that developed in the Middle Ages as an alternative to the rule of the nobility and the clergy.
Most famous the Dithmarschen Bauernrepublik: from the 13th century up to 1559 Dithmarschen was an independent peasant republic within the Holy Roman Empire and a member of the Hanseatic League.

2,000 lorries are queuing at the port of Zeebrugge. The farmers lifted the blockade on Friday and the stranded lorries were escorted in and out of the port by the police. (Source: Belga news agency via Grenzecho)
['Grenzecho' is the German language daily newspaper published in Eupen, Belgium, aimed at the German Belgian Community and the neighbouring areas in the east of the country.]

Several hundred farmers protested with their tractors around Frankfurt Airport on Saturday. The police said this afternoon that an estimated 400 tractors were involved, while the Hessian Farmers' Association put the number at up to 1000.
The demonstration had been registered for 2000 tractors. The comparatively low number of participants could indicate that the protests are losing some of their vigour.

Almost 200,000 demonstrators attended today's demonstration against the right in Berlin.
Yesterday there was a demonstration against the right in my home town: 20,000 inhabitants - 3,000 demonstrators.

For a good three weeks now, tens of thousands of people have been protesting against right-wing extremism all over Germany, with more than two million people at over 400 demonstrations. (Numbers excluding this weekend)

Europe farmers protests: EU scraps plans to halve pesticide use

The overuse of pesticides, among many other agricultural practices, is one of the many threats to the environment, for human beings and wildlife. If we're serious about heading off, or at least slowing down, chemical pollution of the air, water, and soil governments are going to have to find some way of achieving these goals despite their unpopularity in various industries which are affected.

India has terrible air pollution because of the agricultural practice of burning crop residues post harvest but attempts to regulate this burning have been successfully resisted by farmers. In Louisiana, restrictions on similar pollution caused by burning sugar cane have been blocked by growers.

Resistance to ecology-minded reform of existing customs and procedures, especially when exploited by populist politicians, will become a huge stumbling block toward meeting overall goals to protect the climate and the environment. When we reflexively cheer the resistance to developing a green economy we are essentially applauding the continued destruction of vital eco-systems. It might be wise to consider popular backlash before issuing climate regulations.

In fact, it is not only in Germany that farmers have been protesting for weeks, but also in many other countries.
The EU is reacting by making concessions to agriculture.
Nature conservation requirements and concerns for the environment and the climate are being pushed aside.