Sunday, May 5, 2024
While citizen journalists including Peter Sweden have been documenting the Farmer's Protest in Germany, very little mainstream media are covering it. Photo: Peter Sweden
NewsTrucking

German farmers learned a lot from Canada’s Truckers

Farmers affiliated with the Bayrische Bauernverband (Bavarian Farmers Association, or BVV) plan to stage a major demonstration in central Munich on January 8, reports global website Crisis24. The purpose of the action is to condemn several government policies, including the taxes on agricultural vehicles and diesel; the gathering is part of a broader campaign of protests organized by farmers’ groups nationwide. Bavaria State Police expect several thousand participants, along with hundreds of farm vehicles, to take part in the event.

Participating farmers and their vehicles will begin assembling at several points outside Munich at about 06:00 before continuing to the city center in slow-moving convoys starting at 07:00, ultimately converging at Odeonplatz where a rally will take place from 11:00 through about 13:00. While organizers have confirmed routes that will be used by vehicle columns entering the city from the north and south, it remains unclear whether convoys will also be approaching from other directions.

Authorities are anticipating significant traffic disruptions both in central Munich and in some of the outlying suburbs. Protesters reportedly plan to move through the city using a star-shaped route; traffic congestion will be particularly heavy along the Innsbrucker Ring, Ludwigstrasse, and Leopoldstrasse. Disruptions are also likely along state routes 2078 and 2079 earlier in the day as demonstrators approach the city.

Local police are advising commuters to avoid driving their personal vehicles into Munich on Jan. 8, and to use public transportation, if possible. Large numbers of officers will almost certainly deploy to strategic parts of the city, including along convoy routes, to monitor and facilitate the event. Violence is unlikely. Demonstration-related disruptions will probably continue for several hours after the rally at Odeonplatz ends.

Meanwhile, German European Union representative Christine Anderson delivered this message to her followers:

“Dear fellow citizens,

Tomorrow, January the 8th, 2024, the time has come. The nation is finally and literally fed up. Starting in the early morning hours, large protests will take place across Germany, which I assume will paralyze large parts of our country. Originally planned and prepared by our farmers, they are now receiving enormous support and encouragement from numerous other professional groups as well as private initiatives. A great momentum of maximum solidarity has emerged. The anger of the citizens is directed against the disastrous policies of the current government, but also against its former midwife, the CDU, which is today’s sham opposition under its leader Friedrich-„BlackRock“-Merz who is continuing the old and notorious globalist Merkel course.

The people have understood that, as in the Middle Ages, they are being squeezed dry and driven to ruin by an irresponsible political negative-elite. On January 8th, 2024, we will therefore see what happens when the pillars of this state no longer humbly bow their heads and let everything happen to them, but instead put the authoritarian policies of the old parties – which are directed against their own citizens – in their place.

Therefore, I will of course also be present on January 8th to support the protests. Specifically, I will be helping my Hessian AfD regional association with its “Action 2024”, which will be present on the streets throughout the whole state of Hesse on this day with numerous AfD information stands on the edge of the demonstration routes.

For us as the AfD, it is important to support the protests of our farmers and all other national service providers in the long term. We do this by two means:

On the one hand, we strengthen the movement directly on the streets by being on site with information stands and banner campaigns parallel to the demonstrations, but without attracting attention within the rallies with our own party symbolism. The protests are planned by outstanding organizers and activists outside the political sphere and are far more effective when they are not tinged with party politics. On the other hand, we are once again supporting the movement at parliamentary level with corresponding motions and legislative initiatives in the federal and state parliaments. In 2022, for example, our parliamentary group in the German Bundestag had already called not only for the agricultural diesel refund to be maintained, but even temporarily to be doubled. Just six months ago, we applied for a nationwide farm ownership bonus for young farmers, among other things, in order to counteract the decline of farms (printed matter 20/7579). Of course, these proposals and many others were rejected by the old parties.

The street and politics must work hand in hand. This approach already led to success during the corona coercive measures crisis. While our members and elected representatives regularly took part in the Monday demonstrations “in civilian clothes”, it was ultimately only the AfD MPs in parliament who offered political resistance. This joint alliance between the citizens’ protests on the streets and our supportive work in the parliaments ultimately brought the resistance victory over the false narratives.

As a determined fighter for freedom and self-determination, I will therefore be attending again on January 8th and supporting the peaceful protests. It would be great if you – dear readers – could also take part in tomorrow’s day of action in order to strengthen the local protest campaigns with your participation.

I am looking forward to the peaceful and democratic protest against our authoritarian wealth destroying government and its sham opposition (CDU). Let’s show them where the rubber meets the road!

See you on the streets tomorrow!

Kind regards,

Yours, Christine Anderson, MEP”