German farmers blocked roads with tractors on Monday, kicking off a week of protests against plans to phase out agricultural subsidies with nationwide action that ministers have warned could be co-opted by the far-right,
Reuters reports.
Convoys of tractors and trucks, some adorned with protest banners reading "No beer without farmers" and posters from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, gathered on German roads in sub-zero pre-dawn temperatures. In Berlin, a line of dozens of tractors blocked the main avenue leading to the Brandenburg Gate.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens, whose return from holiday last week was disrupted by furious farmers trying to storm the ferry he was on, warned in a video message that farmers' right to protest could be exploited by fringe groups.
"Calls are circulating with coup fantasies, extremist groups are forming and ethnic-nationalist symbols are being openly displayed," said Habeck.
Police said roads and highway slip roads were blocked in multiple locations nationwide, including several border crossings with France, causing traffic jams during the morning rush hour.
Farmers say that government plans to end two tax breaks - which currently save them about 900 million euros ($980 million) per year - will drive them out of business.
The coalition government was forced to find billions in savings in its 2024 budget after a court ruling in November tore up its previous spending plans.
But farmers argue the burden of these cuts has been unfairly placed on them, and have vowed to blockade major traffic and logistics routes for a week, saying that an end to tax breaks will drive farms out of business.
