Several members of the German government have expressed their dissatisfaction. Economy Minister Robert Habeck was stranded on a ferry in Schlüttsiel, in the north of the country. The responsibles ? Farmers opposed to the gradual elimination of a tax advantage on diesel.
Nearly thirty of them prevented the ferry from docking Thursday evening. Thus blocking the minister who had just spent his vacation on Hallig Hooge, a tourist island in the North Sea, a police spokesperson told AFP this Friday. After an unsuccessful attempt at talks with the demonstrators, the minister decided to stay on the ship and return to Hallig Hooge. Once calm returned, the minister was able to reach the continent on Friday at 1:50 a.m. (French time), according to the police.
“Exceeding” the boundaries of democracy
Around a hundred farmers driving their tractors joined this protest action which the police dispersed with gas jets but without making any arrests. This blockage is “shameful and violates the rules of democratic coexistence”, declared government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit on the X network, formerly Twitter.
The Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, who is committed to amending the government’s plans for farmers, denounced on Friday morning an action carried out by “a minority” of people “who are not committed to agriculture German”, but who have “dreams of revolt”, which is “not acceptable”, on the public channel ZDF. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) also denounced “exceeding” the boundaries of democracy in a difficult debate.
The fuel of discord
The farmers’ action came after the German government on Thursday partially abandoned plans to cut fuel subsidies for the agricultural sector. The tax advantage granted on quantities consumed will be phased out gradually until 2026 and not all at once, as initially planned.
But this does not go far enough for farmers, who are planning a week of mobilization from January 8 to 15 against the government, supported by their professional federation.