Magdeburg
Farmers protest at event with Ricarda Lang
Around 200 participants were there. They parked their machines around the venue and lit fires. photo
© Simon Kremer/dpa
There have been farmers’ protests in the country for weeks. Now farmers are using the visit of the federal chair of the Green Party as an opportunity to vent their anger about agricultural policy.
Dozens of farmers met with Green Party federal leader Ricarda Lang for an internal party event Magdeburg gathered for protests. According to police, around 90 tractors and other vehicles had blocked the main road in the Buckau district by the time the event began in the late afternoon. It had to be closed to traffic.
Around 200 participants were there. They parked their machines around the venue and lit fires. After Lang’s arrival there were shouts of “Boo!” and a concert of honking, and some also said “We’ve had enough!” called. Lang then sought to talk to some farmers, said a police spokeswoman.
When the Green Party leader wanted to leave in the evening, some farmers blocked the way, said a police spokeswoman. The police had to intervene. Ricarda Lang was never in danger. There were no arrests.
There have recently been several violent protests against the Greens. Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) was welcomed in Nuremberg in mid-February with a loud whistle concert and chants of “Get out!” Lang was whistled at, insulted and prevented from leaving an event in Schorndorf near Stuttgart.