Pressure from farmers is increasing on French soil, where there was relative calm over the weekend, but tensions are expected as France's National Confederation of Farmers' Unions and young farmers call for access to the capital to close from 2 p.m. local time.
In total, there are eight highways that the country's main unions have called for to be closed, with the support of members from more than a dozen departments around Paris.
Despite the measures announced on Friday by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, the majority of farmers ruled out stopping the movement, considering it insufficient given grievances such as low wages, the impact of inflation and what they said were very strict European environmental standards.
The day before, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced the mobilization of 15,000 police and gendarmes today to prevent tractors from entering major cities.
According to the official, law enforcement forces will be at points of tension amid what he called a difficult day for vehicle traffic in the Paris region.
In uniform with battle tanks, they have been on duty since yesterday near the Rungis international market, located a dozen kilometers from this capital, the largest in Europe for agricultural products and a nerve center for food supplies in Paris and many other French territories.
Some protesters expressed their intention to block this facility, after which Darmanin expressed the government's interest in keeping it operational.
The government promises to take further measures in favor of rural areas after offering on Friday 50 million euros for the biological subsidiary (organic products), suspending the increase in fuel prices for tractors, simplifying procedures and aids and reaffirming France will the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur do not support.
jf/wmr