Angry French farmers shut down roads in 'siege of Paris'

Long lines of tractors blocked highways near Paris and across France on Monday, as farmers threatened what has been described as a 'siege' of Paris. A total of 25 blockades happened across the country, with 1,700 demonstrators taking to the streets, as they continue their protests against high costs, cheap imports, and the effects of climate change policies.

"We're here because we're unhappy with agricultural policies," Pascal Desprez, a 65-year-old grain farmer who has been working in agriculture for 42 years, said on the A10 highway near Paris.

Farmers say they are being strangled by regulations and claim the traditional way of rural life is facing collapse. The ongoing protests across the country by French farmers are now turning into a serious crisis for the new prime minister Gabriel Attal who has not yet been in the job for a full month.

The Agriculture Minister, Marc Fesneau, says the government's desire is to emerge from the crisis and provide concrete responses. Ministers have already announced some new measures including compensation to offset an agri-fuel tax, a reduction in environmental standards, and a simplification of regulations.

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But the sight of hundreds of tractors parked on motorways in and around Paris is focusing ministers' minds, ahead of a major policy declaration by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Tuesday.

The latest and biggest challenge by farmers is the attempted 'siege' of the capital, with tractors and trailers blocking several main roads. The A1, A6, and A15 were among trunk roads blocked to some traffic on Monday.

"Our objective is to put pressure on the government, so that we can quickly find a solution for a way out of the crisis," Arnaud Rousseau, head of the powerful farmers' union FNSEA, said on RTL radio.

Farmers also wanted to blockade a huge wholesale fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of Paris, but the interior minister said that would be a red line for the government, and 15,000 police officers were deployed on Monday to monitor the protests.

France's protests follow similar action in other European countries, including Germany and Poland, ahead of European Parliament elections in June in which the far right, for whom farmers represent a growing constituency, is seen making gains.

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Cover image: French farmers block a highway with their tractors during a protest near Paris. /Sarah Meyssonnier/ Reuters