DHessian farmers want to demonstrate as planned on Monday in downtown Wiesbaden against the subsidy cuts announced by the federal government. The recent announcement by the Berlin Traffic Light Coalition to stagger the tax increase for agricultural diesel and to suspend the abolition of the tax exemption for agricultural vehicles does not change the farmers' willingness to protest against the plans, according to their association.
The rally in Wiesbaden city center is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. A rally is planned on Kranzplatz, opposite the Hessian State Chancellery. There the farmers want to present a resolution to representatives of the state government. Between 500 and 800 tractors are expected. “We don’t want to paralyze traffic, but we want to slow it down significantly,” says a spokeswoman.
“Completely withdraw both proposals for cuts”
Karsten Schmal, the President of the Hessian Farmers' Association, defends the protest: “The revisions announced by the federal government to the planned cuts in agricultural diesel subsidies and vehicle tax exemptions do not change our demand to completely withdraw both cut proposals.” The plans would harm German agriculture in its weaken competitiveness.
Meanwhile, there are fears that right-wing extremists could try to use the protests for their own benefit. On the social network Telegram, calls are being made, especially from the ranks of the lateral thinker movement, to take part in the rally in Wiesbaden and other protests. Most recently, farmers in Aschaffenburg protested several times together with well-known right-wing extremists against the federal government's agricultural policy.
The farmers' association wants to defend itself against such appropriation. “We clearly distance ourselves from all Reich citizens, conspiracy theorists, radical rioters, right-wing extremist groups and subversive propagandists,” it said in a statement. The association also criticizes those farmers who prevented Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (The Greens) from leaving a ferry with a blockade on Thursday evening. They stand for peaceful coexistence and want to convince people with arguments, said association leader Schmal. “We reject personal attacks, insults, threats, coercion or violence.”
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