France: 15,000 police officers are supposed to prevent blockade of farmers in Paris

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French police armored vehicles

Photo: Julien de Rosa / AFP

French police are determined to prevent the blockade of Paris threatened by farmers from Monday. As Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Sunday evening, 15,000 officers as well as armored vehicles and helicopters will be mobilized. You should ensure that the capital as well as the two Paris airports and the Rungis wholesale market remain accessible. Images from the Paris police prefecture showed armored vehicles already taking positions in the evening.

In their fight for better working and living conditions, farmers had threatened to blockade Paris from Monday. All main axes that lead into the metropolis should therefore be interrupted. Farmers also want to block the Rungis wholesale market. It is a gigantic transshipment point for fish, meat, poultry, dairy and delicatessen products.

The Interior Minister emphasized that it was not about a showdown, but rather an orderly conduct of the protests. The police will not intervene at blockade posts themselves. Public buildings should be protected and foreign road trains should be guaranteed safe travel through France. What should be prevented is that, as has already happened in isolated cases, trucks from Spain or Portugal, for example, are stopped and looted by farmers.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal made far-reaching promises of aid to farmers on Friday in the face of days of protests. On Sunday, Attal promised additional measures against unfair competition from other countries while visiting a farm. So far, the promises have not gone far enough for farmers.

List of 140 demands presented

For days, farmers in France have been protesting with road and motorway closures against too much bureaucracy, falling income and complex European environmental regulations. The protests were triggered by rising costs for agricultural diesel, similar to the farmers' protests in Germany. The largest farmers' association presented a list with a total of 140 demands.

On Saturday, some of the road closures were lifted and traffic on most highways returned to normal. But with the announcement that the access roads to Paris and possibly also the Rungis wholesale market south of Paris will be blocked, the pressure on Prime Minister Attal is increasing again.

jok/dpa