Polish farmers have been blocking the country's highways and public roads for a day: although the number of closures has decreased, the protests continue.
Farmer demonstrations are held in hundreds of places in Poland. Although the Polish farmers' organizations have signed an agreement with the Minister of Agriculture, they are still not stopping the protests. Access to major cities and expressways is difficult, wrote wPolityce.
At nine o'clock on Wednesday evening, there were still 169 farmers' demonstrations across the country, the official of the national police headquarters said. At the same time, the authority called on the farmers participating in the demonstration to comply with the regulations and safety rules.
Polish farmers also want to reinstate tariffs on imports of agricultural products from neighboring Ukraine, which were abolished after the Russian invasion.
According to them, Ukrainian farmers flood the EU markets with cheap imported products, with which they cannot compete.
At the farmers' demonstration in Szczecin, Mieczysław Jurek, the regional president of "Solidarnosc", announced that Solidarity proposes a referendum on the green agreement and announced a demonstration on the streets of Warsaw on May 10.
"Solidarity will propose a referendum: do we want the Green Agreement or not? Let the people have their say!” - said Mieczysław Jurek, in front of the Voivodeship Office in Szczecin, adding that the nation's patience is running out.
During the blockade, the driver of a van hit a farmer, and the man was taken to hospital. The recording of the incident was published by Agricultural Magazine on the X social network.
Łęczyca❗️kierowca volkswagena chűenc ominąć blokadę potrącił wczcnica strajku❗️ #StrajkRolników #protestrolników #Rolnicy #blokada pic.twitter.com/UiFdEZFC54
— Agro Profil Magazyn Rolniczy (@AgroProfil) March 20, 2024
According to the local media, Garwolin farmers covered the property owned by Szymon Holownia, the president of the Sejm, in Sidra with manure. Banners with the words "Traitor of the Polish countryside" and "Farmers thank the beating" were hung on the fence. The police are investigating the incident.
"Donald Tusk's government plays two instruments. On the one hand, he is trying to trivialize the reactions of angry farmers, and on the other hand, to scare them," said Robert Telus, former Minister of Agriculture of the Law and Justice Party, on TV Polska, referring to the government's strategy against farmers' protests.
We need strong representation in the negotiations with the government, which is why the National Farmers' Protest Committee is being formed - Tomasz Obszanski, the representative of Solidarity, told the wPolityce.pl portal. In the meantime, Polish farmers are already gathering around Warsaw.
"We will not give up. We will fight!” - said the determined farmers to the Polish television reporter.
W all Polsce trwa #ProtestRolnikow . Rolnicy gromadą się also around Warsaw.
Wśrod protestujących jest big determination: "Mogą nas gazować, pałować, my siew nie poddamy." Będziemy walczyć!”
Rozmawiał @MaciejZem #WCentrumWydarzeń #WPolsce pic.twitter.com/7bz4an9uNI
— Telewizja wPolsce.pl 🇵🇱 #PilnujemyPolski (@wPolscepl) March 20, 2024
According to PiS parliamentarian Anna Gembicka, "the government can extend the embargo on products from Ukraine, close the borders, and it is the government that can and must introduce financial compensation for farmers who are already in huge financial trouble." "
It is not known what the negotiations with the European Commission and the member states will bring, the opinions of the individual states are divided, said Czeslaw Siekierski, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Wednesday, referring to the agreements in the European Parliament on the restriction of the import of certain agricultural products from Ukraine from June.
Cover image: Polish farmers are angry
Source: X/Voice of Europe