Travel disrupted around France as farmers blockade Paris and Lyon

The French farmer protest is intensifying around Lyon and Paris, as the Interior Minister orders 15,000 police to prevent their entry into the capital.

Farmers have been protesting since January 20 using parked tractors and bales of straw to create roadblocks on motorways around the country, while in other places they are deliberately slowing traffic with rolling barricades.

Read more: SEE: support for French farmer protests higher than for gilets jaunes

They began to converge around Paris on Friday (January 26), with the intention of “blockading the capital”, according to farmers’ union FNSEA.

However, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced the deployment of 15,000 police and gendarmerie along with armoured vehicles and helicopters to prevent disruption. Mr Darmanin called the farmers’ entry into the capital a “red line”.

The Interior Minister had previously declared that he “would like to support them politically” on January 28.

Travellers should anticipate severe delays on motorways around the country, even if farmers’ protests are not announced for the area, as farmers from many regions are expected to drive their tractors to the capital.

No delays have been announced at the ports, however farmers have declared their intention to block traffic around Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.

Where are the farmers’ barricades on January 29?

How is the government reacting?

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a series of measures aimed to satisfy many of the farmers’ demands on Friday (January 26), including:

• Eliminating the planned increases to the agricultural diesel tax
• Increasing sanctions against companies that circumvent the EGAlim law, which is intended to ensure farmers are paid fairly
• Opposing the European Mercosur accord with South American companies for food imports
• €50 in aid for farmers whose livestock were affected by the Epizootic hemorrhagic disease
• Unspecified measures to simplify the rules and regulations that affect farmers.

Read also: Will €3.5billion pledge be enough to secure future of French farming?

Are the protests losing momentum?

The government’s concessions along with its stiffening response to the protest has begun to cause the number of blockades to decrease.

The 400 km long closure of the A7 and A9 in the south of France has dissipated, as have many other local protests.

Nonetheless, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told FranceInfothat this might be a “difficult week”.

The remaining farmers are converging on Paris amid mounting evidence of convergences with other disgruntled unions.

Taxi drivers, in particular, are on strike, slowing traffic in Bordeaux, Toulon, Lyon, Lille, Tours, Marseille and Nice with rolling barricades.

On motorways in the Paris area, taxi drivers can now be seen parked alongside the farmers’ tractors in their ‘blockade’ of the capital.

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