The agricultural union, the Coordination rurale, announced at 6 am on Friday, March 1st, that they would demonstrate in front of the Arc de Triomphe. The gathering lasted only a few hours before ending around 8 am.
It was an extremely quick demonstration. On Friday, March 1st, while the Agricultural Fair has been ongoing since February 24th, members of the Coordination rurale decided early in the morning to protest in front of the Arc de Triomphe.
Around 6 am, about ten protesters and tractors were stationed in front of the monument, accompanied by law enforcement.
More than an hour after the start of the demonstration, Patrick Legras, a representative of the Coordination rurale, was arrested by mobile gendarmes for participating in a prohibited gathering and disrupting traffic, as reported by BFMTV.
Before his arrest, the agricultural union representative told reporters that they felt disregarded by Europe. A total of 13 protesters were arrested by law enforcement.
Due to the demonstration, traffic was disrupted, especially on the A4 highway. Sytadin reported the closure of two right lanes, urging people to avoid the area if possible.
Around 7:05 am, Sytadin reported nearly 91 km of traffic jams, above the daily average for the Paris region. Traffic at the Etoile roundabout resumed quickly thanks to law enforcement presence.
By 8 am, on RMC, Frédéric Ferrand, a cereal farmer from Haute-Saône and a member of the Coordination rurale, announced the end of the mobilization. He emphasized that their profession was at risk and vowed to continue advocating for farmers in the coming days and months.
