Arnaud Rousseau wants to “put pressure” on the government
“Our goal is not to annoy or ruin the lives of the French, but to put pressure on the government to quickly find solutions to the crisis. What was said on Friday does not satisfy us,” said FNSEA President Arnaud Rousseau on Monday morning You go to RTL. To put pressure on the government, the union leader is counting on the “seat” of Paris. However, he ensures that entering Paris is excluded: “We will block the major highways leaving Paris, 30 kilometers away.”
A convoy of angry farmers between Agen and Rungis
From Agen, in Lot-et-Garonne, a convoy of angry farmers is preparing to take the road towards Paris and more specifically towards Rungis. The movement, supported in particular by the Rural Coordination, aims to participate in the “siege of Paris” by blocking the Rungis international market, the entrance of which is guarded by soldiers and armored vehicles. Military presence that sends a bad message to the union according to the Rural Coordination. “We are not bandits (…) for us it is a message of extreme negativity” declared the co-president of the Lot-et-Garonne departmental branch of the union, Karine Duc, on France Bleu.
Mark Fesneau promises new measures “in 48 hours”
The announcements made by Gabriel Attal on Friday, January 26, have convinced few farmers. While the movement continues and intensifies with a clearer objective around Paris, the Minister of Agriculture promises that new proposals will take place “in 48 hours” this morning on France 2. “We continue to work to propose a certain number of measures to simplify and emerge from the crisis,” assured Mark Fesneau.
The A11 and A13 blocked towards Paris
The blockages around Paris are planned for early afternoon, but operations are already underway in some places, such as on the A13 where a snail operation is in progress between the Morainvilliers rest area and the town of Rocquencourt according to Sytadin.
Still in the direction of Paris but further away, on the A11 at the level of Chartres, traffic is blocked towards the capital.
“We have no intention of entering Paris” reassures the president of the JA
“We will hold the blockades, we have no intention of entering Paris,” said Clément Torpier, president of the Young Farmers (JA) of Ile-de-France, on franceinfo on Monday morning. As for the presence of law enforcement officers to prevent any disturbances, the union representative explained on behalf of the unions: “We wanted to organize this mobilization in an extremely professional and orderly manner. We will not accept any disturbances.”
15,000 police officers mobilized for a “defensive device”
The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announced the deployment of 15,000 police officers and gendarmes in the face of the farmers’ blockades. The security forces must prevent the demonstrators from entering “Paris and the major cities” while a “siege” is planned around the capital. They are also stationed around the Rungis market and certain airports. The minister assured that the security forces have been ordered not to intervene at the blockades unless there is any violence or disturbances, their position is focused on “securing” and “understanding the agricultural environment.”
Eight highways blocked around Paris for the “siege” of the capital
The farmers of the FNSEA and the Young farmers are organizing the “siege” of Paris on Monday, January 29. Eight blockades are planned on the main highways leading to Paris from 2 p.m.: the A1, A4, A5, A6, A10, A13, A15, and A16 are affected by these blockades.
