The Rural Coordination called for demonstrations in front of the European Parliament this Tuesday, November 26. A successful peaceful mobilization, according to the organizers. Because despite the procession being blocked by the police less than 2km from parliament in the morning, many MEPs came to meet them.
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The call to demonstrate in front of the European Parliament was launched by the Rural Coordination of several departments of Burgundy and Franche-Comté.
This morning of November 26, nearly forty tractors arrived in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), following a journey started the day before in Vesoul (Haute-Saône). At the heart of this mobilization, the upcoming signing of the free trade agreement with Mercosur and the authorization to import transgenic corn validated by the European Commission.
After being blocked all morning by the police less than two kilometers from Parliament, the farmers received authorization to set up in front of the regional headquarters, around 3 p.m.
With the added bonus of authorization from the prefecture to extend the event until 6 p.m.
But even though the farmers could not reach parliament today, parliament still came to them. All morning, many European deputies came to the blocking point in order to hear the grievances of the Rural Coordination.
Manon Aubry (La France Insoumise) and Marion Maréchal (European Conservatives and Reformists), among others, thus assured their support for farmers. “At the European Commission, I was told that the only thing that will make the difference in the end is the mobilization of farmers,” even entrusted the LFI deputy to the representatives of the Rural Coordination.
A procession of farmers left Vesoul this morning to reach the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
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© Grégory Fraize / France Télévisions
For Florian Dirand, president of the Haute-Saône Rural Coordination, the objective of the event has been achieved: “We had the impression of being listened to. All the parliamentarians seem to vote in the same direction so it’s a good start.” However, this farmer does not rule out other actions in the near future. “We can go further in the mobilization, yes. I can’t tell you more.”
However, the day started badly for the farmers. From 8:45 a.m., a squadron of gendarmerie and police officers stopped the procession on rue Jacques Kablé in Strasbourg, 1.8 km from the European Parliament.
The blockage, which lasted more than six hours, was unexpected for the organizers of this peaceful demonstration. “We just wanted to approach parliament by tractor. No blockages, no dumpsters, no fire. […] We did everything correctly, we made statements [auprès de la préfecture]. And there, they put CRS in front and behind us. So we're really stuck. It's a slap in the back,” lamented Florian Dirand on our microphone this morning.
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