Spiked, Jan. 20, 2024
German farmers have had enough. On Monday 15 January 2024, thousands of tractors and tens of thousands of Germans descended on Berlin – capping off a week of protests in which farmers blocked roads and brought life to a standstill across the country.
The demonstration was sparked by government plans to abolish tax breaks on agricultural diesel and bring in new taxes on farm vehicles. But it’s also so much deeper than that. Farmers are furious with green ideology, with being made to pay the price for the government’s lofty climate goals. And they’re furious with being demonized as extremists simply for standing up for their livelihoods.