Polish farmers started a big protest in Warsaw. Today, hunters, fishermen and foresters have joined them.
RMF24 writes about it.
Among the protestersʼ demands are restrictions on the import of agricultural products from Ukraine and rejection of the "green course" of the European Union (European Green Deal), which imposes a number of restrictions on farmers.
At the end of February, farmers already came out in Warsaw with protests, but their meeting with Prime Minister Donald Tusk on February 29 did not yield anything.
It is noted that the farmers started the action in the morning in front of the office of the Prime Minister of Poland. Traffic is difficult throughout Warsaw. In addition, a number of national roads are blocked. At the same time, farmers were not allowed to enter Warsaw with tractors — barricades and spikes were erected on the outskirts of the city.
Farmers set fire to tires and a coffin in front of the prime ministerʼs office building, supposedly symbolizing Polandʼs agriculture. They say they will protest "as long as it takes."
In addition, the protesters want to meet with representatives of the Polish government. They carry national flags and banners, light bonfires in the streets and set off firecrackers in front of Prime Minister Donald Tuskʼs office.
Warsaw police reported that protesting farmers threw cobblestones at the officers. The police used "direct coercive measures".
- From November 2023, Poles periodically block checkpoints on the border with Ukraine. Polish carriers, and then farmers, have been obstructing the movement of trucks for varying lengths of time, demanding from their authorities and the European Union to improve working conditions and preferences. They are asking for a ban on the import of agricultural products from Ukraine that do not meet EU standards, the return of the permit system for Ukrainian transporters, subsidies for fertilizers, compensation for excise duty on fuel, payment of subsidies, and have other demands that have nothing to do with Ukraine.
- Ukraine considers criticism of its products unfounded and calls it a political issue.