Thousands of German farmers converged on Berlin on Monday to close a week of mass mobilization against plans by Olaf Scholz's government to cut tax benefits for their profession. "Well over 5000,<> tractors" have travelled to the capital, a police spokeswoman told AFP, adding that this was a provisional estimate.
From the crack of dawn, there were horns blaring from the tractors of demonstrators who were planning to go to the Brandenburg Gate in the centre. During the night, the Berlin police had posted a message on X (formerly Twitter), reporting congestion on one of the city's main central thoroughfares. "Dear farmers! There is no more room on June 17 Street for protests. In Olympic Square (near the Olympic Stadium on the outskirts of the city), parking spaces are still available," the police wrote on the social network. The farmers' mobilization began last Monday in Germany.
Read also"Vu d'ailleurs" N°133 - The anger of German farmers
A tax advantage eliminated
Their anger was sparked by the government's announcement in December of its intention to cut subsidies to the sector due to a call to order by constitutional judges over Germany's strict fiscal rules. Faced with the sector's open resistance, the coalition formed by the Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals had backpedalled somewhat. In the end, it maintained the vehicle tax advantage for forestry and agriculture, which it planned to cancel. And it had decided to phase out the tax advantage for agricultural diesel "in order to give the companies concerned more time to adapt".
But this step in their direction was not enough to calm the discontent of a profession that is particularly struggling. The far right, which has the wind in its sails, particularly in the east of the country, has tried to infiltrate this revolt, even though most of the farmers involved say they want to dissociate themselves from this movement.