Farmers block all border crossings between Spain and France in historic protest

Farmers are blocking all border crossings between Spain and France on Monday morning in an unprecedented protest. Joined by French farmers, the protests aim to put pressure on both governments and the European Union amid the ongoing campaign for the June 9 elections. 

Over 100 tractors blocked the AP7 highway at La Jonquera, just the French-Spanish border, after arriving at the destination accompanied by police officers.

There were around 150 tractors on the southern side of the border and six on the northern one.

The block started 10 am and will continue until Tuesday, the blockade affect all crossings from Irun in the Basque Country to La Jonquera in Catalonia. 

The protest, called by Revolta Pagesa, will last 24 hours and has the support of several agricultural associations from all over the state and French farmers. However, the Unió de Pagesos farmers union, which has a majority in Catalonia, does not support it because it does not consider it "legitimate" to mobilize in the middle of ongoing campaign for the European elections.

 

 

Around eight in the morning, the tractors had left from several points to go to the borders.

The earliest cut was at the main border crossing La Jonquera. About forty tractors came from the northern Catalan city Figueres and by a quarter past ten, they had already cut the AP-7 to the north, causing detours to the N-II and the A-2.

"We must safe ourselves and make sure European authorities pay attention to us," Martí Planas, spokesperson of the Revolta Pagesa group, said to media outlets on Monday.

Considering the difference in the number of tractors between the northern and the southern sides of the border, Planas said that the starting week comes "with a lot of work," and "just leaving for one day is a lot of effort. We have to fight for our future."

"We want to set up a date for a meeting, and if we get an appointment, we are open to letting traffic flow for 10 minutes per hour, or whatever they require, to ease the large traffic complication," Gerard Cardona, another farmer protesting, said.

The farmers, who have been protesting for months, are demanding greater food security in relation to imports, the prioritization of local products and the reduction of taxes on energy used in food production. 

The collaboration between farmers from Spain and France to stage a joint protest with identical demands is historic. 

The timing of the protest coincides with the crucial European elections on June 9, as farmers seek to put "pressure" on voters during this election period.

Although the protest is led by various agricultural organizations from all over Spain, the Farmers' Union, which has a majority in Catalonia, has refused to join.

They consider it "illegitimate" to mobilize during the EU election campaign. 

Meanwhile, Catalan farmers consider that "every time the situation is worse, and we needed to do something now," Martí Planas told journalists.

"Every time, there are fewer farmers, we must save ourselves," he said before adding "I do not ask anyone who they are voting for, we are all together and we will fight to death." 

Lorry drivers warn of millions in losses 

Lorry drivers have expressed their frustration with the blockade and called on the government to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. 

The General Association of Autonomous Truck Drivers of Catalonia (AGTC) has strongly criticized the "passivity and complicity" of both the Catalan and Spanish governments in the matter. 

They argue that the protest will lead to "unjustified" losses amounting to millions of euros, given that some 11,000 trucks cross the border every day. 

In fact, they say that these protest "cause an obvious problem" to their sector and call for "solutions" to guarantee that trucks can continue to drive as they are the ones "paying the consequences" of such protests.

Everybody has their right to protest "whenever they see it convenient," the Catalan group of road transport said in a statement.

The truckers' association calls these actions "radical" and claims that they were not organized by the main farmers organizations, but rather by minority groups operating with "impunity". 

Consequently, they are calling for sanctions against protesters who impede the movement of goods. 

To learn more about the farmers' protests, listen to the podcast below.