As demonstrations multiply in the country, the scenario of a blockade of Paris is gaining ground. Some farmers are threatening to invest the capital, while the FNSEA does not rule out a possible blockage.
“The next step will be Paris.” The message has the merit of being clear. This Wednesday, January 24, anger does not subside among farmers, quite the contrary. The agricultural world is determined to make its voice heard across the country. New blockages have been recorded and demonstrations could well reach the gates of the capital. At the microphone of BFMTV, a farmer called out the government since the blocking of the A16 in Oise. Régis Desrumaux, member of the FDSEA of Oise explains that “if we don’t have a concrete answer, we will be in Paris in a few days. We will arrive at the toll gates” he assured.
In Oise, the blocking of the A16 motorway south of Beauvais perfectly illustrates the motivations of farmers to invest in Paris soon. “Perhaps it is in Paris that we need to make ourselves heard,” says another farmer, still speaking to BFMTV. “For them, it’s easy, the metro is not blocked for the moment.” Will the threats be carried out? An option far from the era put aside by the president of the FNSEA Arnaud Rousseau. He also spoke about the possibility of preparing a movement in the capital.
“Everything will depend on the way in which the answers are formulated. We do not exclude any option. We want to occupy the land but Paris is not the place where farmers live. If there was a form of contempt, of incapacity to answer the questions, things could evolve. At this stage, what matters is to occupy the ground to show that anger is there everywhere in France, and to obtain answers quickly” he shown in the show les 4V on France 2.
“The objective is not to annoy the French, it is to obtain rapid results because farmers today feel affected in their freedom to undertake, in the way of doing their job at daily. Administrative accumulation, controls, standards… all that is no longer tenable” concedes Arnaud Rousseau, the president of the FNSEA this Wednesday morning on franceinfo. The latter also announced the publication, this Wednesday afternoon, of a precise list of demands. We’re talking about “more than forty measures that have been bothering us for 20 years” he explains.
The president of Rural Coordination indicated this morning on BFMTV that the show “could be hot” this year. As a reminder, it will be held from February 24 to March 3 in Paris. Véronique Le Floc’h did not hesitate to question the actions of politicians: “there is a deadline and I think that all our politicians must be aware of it. If no response is provided quickly, they know very well although the Salon de l’Agriculture could be hot”.
“Let our politicians wake up!” she also said. “We are ready to go to Paris, boycott the Agricultural Show, paralyze the capital with our tractors” already launched Jérôme Bayle, cattle breeder who became one of the leaders of the movement this Monday. Currently, no majority agricultural union has called for a boycott of the event.
For its part, the FDSEA of Seine-et-Marne threatened to block “the entire Île-de-France” via a tweet published this Wednesday. “For now, the strategy is to alert, to show that the anger is there, that it is time for things to change. That the government’s contempt for our profession must stop” indicates Cyrille Milard, president of FDSEA 77 on France Bleu Paris. “We rather want to communicate. But in 10 days, if the government has not given us clear and precise answers (…) we will block the entire Île-de-France” he said .
