Peasant gang prevents German Vice Chancellor Habeck from leaving ferry – “shameful” court blocks labor market reforms by Argentine President Milei

Angry farmers prevented German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck from leaving a ferry in Schleswig-Holstein. They blocked the pier on Thursday, a police spokesperson told the DPA news agency.

De Groene Habeck, who is also Minister of Economic Affairs, had to return to the Hallig Hooge in Schlüttsiel. According to the police, there were more than a hundred demonstrators. About thirty officers were present. They also used pepper spray, a police spokesperson said. Nothing was known about any injuries.

A spokeswoman for Habeck told DPA that the minister would like to talk to the farmers. “Unfortunately, the security situation did not allow a conversation with all farmers, and Minister Habeck’s offer to talk to individual farmers was unfortunately not accepted.”

According to police, the situation quickly calmed down when the ferry departed. There were no reports that evening. “There is already a disturbance of the peace,” said a police spokesperson when asked whether an investigation was still being conducted.

“Democratic line crossed”

The German federal government called blocking Habeck’s arrival at the pier a shame. “With all understanding for a vibrant protest culture, no one should have to worry about such a brutalization of political mores,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit wrote early Friday morning on the X platform, formerly Twitter.

The leader of the Green Party in the Bundestag, Britta Hasselmann, was shocked: “It is shocking what happened there and I am deeply outraged. “It is a complete violation of boundaries and an attack on Robert Habeck’s privacy,” she said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) further wrote. Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) provided an explanation: “I always use the same measures, whether with climate stickers or with the farmers at the ferry port: violence and coercion are despicable and also damage the business.”

Outraged by the reduction in sanctions

Farmers are outraged by the German government coalition’s plans to cut subsidies. On Thursday, the government responded to the massive farmers’ protests: it wants to abandon the abolition of car tax exemptions for agriculture.

The abolition of the tax credit for agricultural diesel will be expanded and implemented in several steps, the government spokesperson announced in Berlin. However, the German Farmers’ Association considers the measures inadequate and is sticking to a week of action planned from Monday. (sda/dpa)