Geoffrey Branger / Photo credits: Henrique Campos / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 10:06 a.m., January 28, 2024
The FNSEA and the Young Farmers are planning the “siege” of Paris from Monday afternoon. Tractors should arrive by the hundred from all over France to reach the capital. But how do they plan to organize themselves? Europe 1 went to meet demonstrators on a roadblock on the A16, who are getting ready.
The farmers prepare to besiege Paris. The anger does not subside at the call of the local authorities of the FNSEA and Young Farmers. The tractors will arrive by the hundreds on Monday in the capital, from 2 p.m. Coming from everywhere: Normandy, Hauts-de-France, Burgundy, Grand Est, Center Val de Loire, Île-de-France... Europe 1 went to the Oise this Sunday morning alongside farmers on the dam from the A16, just 60 kilometers from Paris. For several days, they have been camping on this section of the highway and on Monday they will reach the capital for the siege.
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There are around ten farmers this Sunday morning at this point blocking the A16 motorway. Some are dozing around the brazier, others are chatting. Many returned home to rest before further action. They return little by little, but some still end their fourth night here, like Christophe, a cattle breeder. “I think we’ll be able to rest a little today,” he explains.
“We will maintain the pressure around Paris”
According to him, "the real agenda for the day is the organization: how do we approach Paris? We can have breakdowns, punctures, accidents. And so we have to start being ready and to organize ourselves to take off. That is to say dealers who will come with trucks equipped to be able to carry out the repairs, and then also our tankers because we will have to refuel a little. "
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This Sunday, there should be no movement on this highway. Farmers are organizing themselves for the rest of the mobilization. “We will not go to Paris alone, we will go with the orders of the FNSEA since the negotiation is done with the FNSEA and the government,” explains Christophe. "The only thing the government can do so that we do not have to maintain this pressure is to give us answers. But if this is not the case, it is clear that we will maintain the pressure around Paris. So we have to organize ourselves well to arrive at the crown of Paris and surround Paris at the same time."
For the moment, there are no precise times for this departure to Paris on Monday. But everything suggests that Monday morning, the tractors will already be on their way to the capital.