A convoy of around fifty tractors and trucks from the Rural Coordination is on its way to the Invalides in Paris on Friday, February 23. After launching a go-slow operation on the ring road, farmers want to maintain pressure on the government and express their anger and demands as the Agriculture Fair opens its doors on Saturday. Follow our live coverage.
Debate confusion surrounding Emmanuel Macron’s wishes. In a tweet published at midday on Friday, the Elysée stated that Soil Uprisings had not been “invited or contacted” to participate in the debate with Emmanuel Macron organized for Saturday during his visit to the Agriculture Fair. The Elysée had initially announced to journalists that the group had been invited to the debate, before withdrawing the invitation in the face of the anger of the FNSEA, the main agricultural union. “It was a mistake made during the press interview before the event,” said the executive.
The FNSEA “for the time being” refuses to participate in this discussion. Its leader Arnaud Rousseau believes that the invitation of the executive to the Soil Uprisings shows that the Elysée has “not understood the issues” of the farmers.
“This debate is a good idea,” says Marc Fesneau. The Ministry of Agriculture “hopes” that the big debate can take place. Asked on Friday on TF1, Marc Fesneau considered the invitation of Soil Uprisings “inopportune”. “It is a collective whose model of expression is rather the Molotov cocktail,” he judged, “so we do not discuss with these people”.
