02/24/2024 – 19:30
French President Emmanuel Macron left the Salon of Agriculture in Paris, this Saturday (24), after a visit marked by boos and confrontations. The event is crucial for a discontented sector that staged large demonstrations in January.
The annual event, which French presidents regularly attend, takes place in the country's capital until March 3 at a time of tension after farmers blocked several of the country's highways earlier this year.
Macron's arrival at the event, at 8 a.m. local time (4 a.m. in Brasília), coincided with scenes of violence and confusion, with dozens of protesters trying to force the bars to enter the venue before opening time, sparking clashes with security forces.
The president was protected by dozens of riot police, who constantly pushed protesters to prevent them from approaching him. Some called Macron a “liar”, shouted “go away!” and asked for his resignation.
Authorities reported that eight members of law enforcement were injured after being forced to use their bodies as a barrier in front of “300 or 400” people.
The event was opened by Macron four and a half hours late in relation to the initial program. But despite the chaotic scenes, he managed to talk to some farmers, including some members of the country's three main agricultural unions.
The French president left at around 9:15 pm (5:15 pm Brasília time), pleased to have visited the place despite the troubled start and considering it “ridiculous that farmers have resorted to violence in a hall that belongs to them”.
“I always prefer dialogue to confrontation (…) Confrontation produces nothing”, declared the 46-year-old president, re-elected in 2022 for a second five-year term against the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.
– Commitments in the face of tensions –
Among other commitments, Macron committed to proposing the adoption of “minimum prices to protect agricultural income”, within the scope of a new law that should regulate relations between different actors in the food industry.
These “minimum prices” will be based on production cost indicators for each sector (poultry, dairy, beef, etc.).
In November, French Minister of Consumption, Olivia Grégoire, spoke out against a similar measure voted and rejected in Parliament. She said it reminded her of “Cuba or the Soviet Union.”
The president also reiterated his desire to prevent a pesticide from being banned in France before the rest of the European Union, to avoid distortions of competition.
After the agricultural protests that shook the country at the end of January, Macron announced a series of measures, including stricter control over the origin of products and his refusal to sign a trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur.
At the opening of the Agriculture Hall, however, he disagreed with the idea that international trade would harm the local agricultural sector.
The protests in recent weeks have also affected other European countries, such as Germany, Poland, Romania, Belgium, Italy and Spain.
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