French farmers continue ‘siege’ of Paris. King Charles and Princess Kate have both left hospital

French farmers continue to block major access roads to Paris with hundreds of tractors. This led to traffic jams of about 100 kilometers, the responsible authority announced on Tuesday.

According to motorway company Vinci, about ten motorways throughout the country have been closed in parts. The protesting farmers complain about bureaucratic requirements, expensive environmental standards and low incomes.

The blockades at a distance of 30 to 40 kilometers from the capital could last several days. Some protesters have organized portable toilets, power generators and food. “We are determined to do everything,” said the head of the FNSEA farmers’ association Arnaud Rousseau. A ‘siege’ of the capital had been announced. But Rousseau called for moderation: everything had to proceed peacefully and orderly. “So far the French have supported us, but they don’t want us to revolt.”

The police have so far hardly been able to contain the farmers’ protests. Nevertheless, an additional 15,000 officers are employed and gendarmerie armored vehicles are stationed at the Rungis wholesale market south of Paris. Because the blockades are relatively far from Paris, traffic in the capital has hardly been affected so far.

There is no consensus within the protest movement about how far the protest should go. Several tractor convoys are currently on their way with the aim of blocking the wholesale market in Rungis – which the farmers’ association FNSEA rejects.

“The people are on our side, we could see during the trip that the French love their farmers,” said José Perez, co-president of a regional agricultural association. A convoy of the association travels with about 200 tractors. He is expected to arrive in Rungis late this afternoon.

According to police information, around 10,000 farmers took part in various actions across the country on Monday. About 500 tractors were counted during the blockades around Paris. (saw/sda/afp)