German farmers round off week of angry protests in Berlin
BERLIN: Thousands of angry farmers descended on Berlin with their tractors and loudly booed a government minister on Monday, rounding off a week of nationwide protests against plans to cut tax breaks for agriculture.
More than 5,000 tractors were already blocking the streets and honking their horns by mid-morning, a police spokeswoman told AFP.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner put up a robust defence of the government's plans at the protest, insisting they were about "how we can get out of a difficult situation together".
But he was met with boos and whistles when he took to the podium, with protesters chanting "liar" and calling for the government to be ousted.
"For me, the government must resign. They are no longer capable of leading us," Paul Brzezinski, 73, a dairy farmer based south-east of Berlin, told AFP.
Farmers began a week of protests on January 8 over plans to axe certain subsidies for agriculture, after a court ruling forced the government to find savings in the 2024 budget.
The rallies prompted the government to partially walk back on the cuts, promising to reinstate a discount on vehicle tax and to phase out a diesel subsidy over several years instead of immediately. ‘Unable to cope’
But farmers say the moves did not go far enough and are urging Berlin to completely reverse the plans.
"It's not just about the most recent cuts. That was simply the straw that broke the camel's back," said Hendrik Pferdmenges, 45, a crop farmer from Hanover.
"We have lost too many subsidies in recent years, and there is so much regulation and bureaucracy that at some point we will no longer be able to cope," he said.
"If I had to describe in one word why I am here, then it would be 'future'," said Henrike Boerstling, 26, a crop farmer from Lower Saxony.
"I want my children to be able to become farmers one day. I want to be able to take over the farm from my father. I want to be able to run it properly and invest in my business," she said.