HUGE crowds gathered in Stuttgart’s Cannstatter Wasen Square, Germany, with placards and union flags as they listened to speeches from a series of speakers, including union representatives and local farmers.
“Yes, because we have been bombarded recently and it is simply a bit much for all farmers, in fruit growing, arable farming, livestock farmers, it is simply a bit much that is falling on us. It’s just a matter of taking a stand and if farmers stick together, we can achieve something together,” according to Zimmerle, Protester.
“In any case, we are against farmers being bullied with regulations and controls; they have to pay for everything themselves. It’s similar with us hunters. We also have to pay for our inspections and things are much, much worse for farmers,” according to Ixmann, Protester.
“So there are many points, agricultural diesel is just one of them all. Among other things, they have cut off our social security subsidies, and then there is the decommissioning of 4% of the very best arable land, which is total nonsense. In our favored locations that we have,” according to Rebmann, Protester.
“You just have to talk to us, our top politicians have to talk to association representatives. Just before you make any decisions, there just have to be real conversations about what you decide. And then the right decisions have to be made,” according to Markus Meier, Protester.
“If politicians think they can wait it out, then they are on the wrong track,” according to Christian Coenen, Protester.
Later, a large convoy of tractors is shown leaving Cannstatter Wasen.
According to local media, as many as 5,000 demonstrators and over 3,000 tractors joined it.
The protest comes after a week-long protest earlier January, which saw hundreds of thousands of farmers and tractors flood cities across Germany, bringing Berlin and many others to a complete standstill.
Earlier this month, the German government partially reversed its decision on agricultural subsidy cuts, abandoning plans to eliminate the vehicle tax exemption and opting to gradually phase out tax breaks for agricultural diesel.
But the German farmers’ union believes that this is not enough.
The coalition government initially introduced these cuts as part of its strategy to fill a 17-billion-euro gap in this year’s budget, prompted by a court ruling preventing the use of reallocated unused debt from COVID-19 for its green agenda.
Meanwhile, the current administration clarified that cost-cutting measures would be implemented across green energy, construction, and industry support, with an emphasis on ending ‘climate-damaging subsidies’ like the diesel tax break.
Funding for Ukraine and social security remained protected.
