© AFP
In the French capital Paris, a group of angry farmers took action around the Arc de Triomphe on Friday morning after a call from the union. Among other things, they briefly blocked part of the Champs-Elysées with straw bales and tractors. All together, about 66 people were arrested, including a union leader, the police said.
According to one participant, farmers gathered around 4 a.m. Friday morning “in a calm and respectful manner” at the well-known triumphal arch. Shortly after 8 o’clock there were still about fifty farmers, surrounded by police and about ten tractors. About two hours later, the action was over and traffic on the Champs-Elysées could move normally again.
In the run-up to the last weekend of the major agricultural show in Paris, the farmers’ union Coordination rurale had called for action “to save French agriculture” on X, the former Twitter. Farmers’ protests are also taking place elsewhere in the French capital today.
As elsewhere in Europe, farmers in France complain about declining incomes, European environmental regulations and too many demands on the sector.
© AFP