Protesting farmers continued to drive tractors around the government district in the German capital, Berlin, on Tuesday, a day after the mass demonstrations they organized yesterday, Monday, to protest proposals to reduce diesel subsidies for the agricultural sector.
According to local police, this morning there were about 330 tractors and other agricultural vehicles parked along the street that leads to the iconic Brandenburg Gate, the emblem of the German capital.
However, police said there was a constant flow of departures and new arrivals. Two additional demonstrations were announced today, including one from the farmers' association in the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin.
More tractor convoys joined them during the morning. In addition, there had been a protest by the Free Peasants' Association that had begun the night before.
Yesterday morning, thousands of tractors and more protesters moved to central Berlin to protest the fuel subsidy cuts proposed by the coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
These proposals came as part of the Schulz government's efforts to close the large budget gap. The government has so far watered down the proposal, offering to gradually phase out subsidies over three years, but agriculture sector leaders have demanded more concessions. For its part, on Tuesday, the Christian Alliance (the Christian Democratic Party and its younger brother, the Bavarian Christian Social Party), which leads the opposition and represents the center-right and which has largely supported farmers in their protest against the government, called for providing large-scale financial and regulatory facilities to the agricultural sector.
The Christian Alliance proposed making diesel subsidies permanent, extending permits for animal farms, and imposing new animal rights protection fees on products in stores to offset the costs of implementing new legislation to protect animal rights and the environment.
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