Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
Protests in Poland turn violent
The farmers’ protest in Poland is fast becoming known as the most violent agricultural protest in Europe, according to national media.
Farmers were joined by supporters in March as they gathered in Sejm when protesters started throwing stones at police in an attempt to push past the barriers.
According to media in the area, several policemen were injured and police were forced to used teargas to disperse the crowd. Police confirmed that they arrested and detained several protesters in the clash.
The ongoing protests across Europe are as a result of farmers being disgruntled over several EU climate policies and food import policies. The Polish police released a statement via social media warning the protesters that officers are not part of the dispute saying that “threatening their safety cannot be taken lightly and requires a firm and decisive response”.
Poland’s deputy agriculȱȱ Ùȱ Ù££ȱȱȱ country’s normal farmers would have never caused a riot, and this action was instigated by “troublemakers”.
According to media reports, farmers took their tractors to Warsaw, blocking the main highways while thousands of supporters gathered and marched to the parliament. Joining the farmers in their protest were workers from other industries including mining, forestry and hunting associations. Besides being unhappy with the EU’s climate policies, the farmers are demanding that the Polish-Ukrainian border be closed to stop the imports of ‘cheaper’ Ukrainian products.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has told local media that the farmers’ demands are justified and he plans to make amendments to the climate policies.
In an official statement early in March, Tusk pledged to reduce grain surplus.