Angry French farmers storm into agriculture fair in Paris
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[February 24, 2024]
By Stephanie Lecocq and Manuel Ausloos
PARIS (Reuters) -A group of French farmers stormed into a major Paris
farm fair on Saturday ahead of a planned visit by President Emmanuel
Macron amid anger over costs, red tape and green regulations.
Facing dozens of police officers inside the trade fair, the farmers were
shouting and booing, calling for the resignation of Macron and using
expletives aimed at the French leader.
"This is our home!", they shouted, as lines of French CRS riot police
sought to contain the demonstration. There were some clashes with
demonstrators and the police arrested at least one of them, a Reuters
witness saw.
Pascal Beteille, one of the demonstrators said he did not expect
anything from Macron's visit.
"This is our home and he's welcoming us with CRS," he told Reuters.
Macron, who met French farmers' union leaders over breakfast, was
scheduled to walk within the alleys of the trade fair afterwards.
"I'm saying this for all farmers: you're not helping any of your
colleagues by smashing up stands, you're not helping any of your
colleagues by making the show impossible, and in a way scaring families
away from coming," Macron told reporters after his meeting with union
leaders.
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The protests delayed the opening of the show to the public by at least
an hour.
The French president said he would convene farmers' union
representatives and other stakeholders of the sector at the Elysee
palace in three weeks after he canceled a debate he wanted to hold at
the fair with farmers, food processors and retailers.
He denied a reports that he planned to invite controversial
environmentalist group Soulevements de la Terre to that debate, which
had further stirred anger among French farmers.
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![](../images/022424PIX/news_g74.jpg)
Farmers clash with members of the French police as they protest
inside the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre on the day of
French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the International
Agriculture Fair (Salon International de l'Agriculture) during its
inauguration in Paris, France, February 24, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie
Lecocq
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/May/02/images/ads/current/guzzardo_lda022609.png)
An impromptu heated discussion between Macron and demonstrators was
being broadcast live on French news channels.
The Paris farm show - a major event in France, attracting around
600,000 visitors over nine days - is a political fixture, where
presidents and their opponents are expected to engage with the
public under intense media scrutiny.
Farmers' protests which have spread across Europe, have stoked
concerns in France and beyond about their political fallout, given
they represent a growing constituency for the far right, expected to
make gains in European Parliament elections in June.
French farmers earlier this month largely suspended protests after
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised new measures worth 400 million
euros ($433 million).
But protests resumed this week to put pressure on the government to
provide more help and deliver on promises, ahead of the Paris farm
show.
($1 = 0.9244 euros)
(Reporting by Stéphanie Lecocq, Manuel Ausloos and Sybille de La
HamaideAdditional reporting by Lucien Libert and Zhifan LiuWriting
by Mathieu RosemainEditing by Tomasz Janowski)
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