If you have to get to Munich from the surrounding area on Wednesday, you should decide: leave early – or change straight to the S-Bahn. It’s likely to be tight on the streets. The reason is protest actions on the motorway entrances around Munich. In the Munich district alone, 18 junctions on all seven motorways will be affected – for six hours. “Be prepared for traffic disruptions,” warns the Munich police.
The background is a nationwide day of action by farmers against the abolition of agricultural diesel. “We will go one step further,” announces the President of the Bavarian Farmers’ Association, Günther Felßner, in one Video at. The highways would be “temporarily” blocked in the access roads, this was agreed with the Bavarian state government. This “deceleration action” should be carried out “powerfully and cleanly” – without “angering the population too much”.
Felßner had actually promised that the whole thing should take place outside of metropolitan areas. However, this cannot be said in the Munich metropolitan area. There will be protests at the motorway entrances Neubiberg, Unterhaching, Taufkirchen, Hofoldinger Forst, Garching, Feldkirchen, Schäftlarn, Gräfelfing, Neuherberg, Aschheim, Haar, Ottobrunn, Oberhaching and Sauerlach, among others.
“The motorway exits are not affected by the protest actions,” promises the Munich district office. Emergency vehicles must always be allowed to pass through, and anyone who “urgently” needs to get on the motorway should also be allowed through, Felßner appeals to those blocking the area. The farmers’ association and the association “Agriculture connects Bavaria” are taking part in the protest.
The Munich police headquarters is expecting a major operation. The number of officers needed has not yet been determined, it was said on Wednesday, and cooperation talks with the protesters are still ongoing. The police will also probably use a helicopter. There will be no complete blockades, said police spokesman Andreas Franken. The driveways would always be reopened.
Police want to take action against deliberate blockades on motorways
The farmers apparently intend to arrive again with tractors. Fire barrels could also be set up. Blockades on the highways themselves were neither registered nor permitted, according to the police. “We will take consistent action against deliberate blockade actions,” announced Franken. The police will prevent crimes. The police spokesman emphasized that the organizers of the protests were very cooperative.
The background to the protest actions is the ongoing Bundestag deliberations on the agricultural budget. According to the farmers’ association, the decision on agricultural diesel should be made on February 2nd. “We remain visible and are not letting up on the issue of agricultural diesel!” said farmer president Felßner, who was recently quoted as saying: “Blockades or interventions in the transport infrastructure are not the appropriate means at the moment.” On Wednesday between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. they will be in the Munich metropolitan area from the farmers’ perspective.