The lawsuit was led by farmers who opposed the phasing out of a tax benefit for diesel.
Farmers opposed to the gradual abolition of a tax advantage on diesel blocked a ferry in Schlüttsiel in northern Germany with Economics Minister Robert Habeck on board, sparking condemnation from several members of the government. On Thursday evening, almost thirty farmers prevented the ferry from docking where Robert Habeck was, who had just spent his vacation on the tourist island of Hallig Hooge in the North Sea, a police spokesman told the AFP news agency. AFP on Friday. After an unsuccessful attempt to talk to the demonstrators, the minister decided to stay on the ship and return to the Hallig Hooge. After calm had returned, the minister was able to reach the continent at 12:50 a.m. on Friday, according to the police.
About a hundred farmers joined this protest with their tractors, which was dispersed by the police with gas jets without any arrests being made. This blockade is “shameful and violates the rules of democratic coexistence,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Network X, formerly Twitter.
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“Dreams of Uprising”
Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, who is pushing for a change in the government's plans for farmers, denounced on Friday morning an action by “a minority” of people “who are not committed to German agriculture” but “have dreams about it.” Uprising”, which is “unacceptable”, on ZDF. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) also denounced “exceeding” the limits of democracy in a difficult debate.
The farmers' action came after the federal government on Thursday partially scrapped plans to cut fuel subsidies for the agricultural sector. The tax relief on consumption quantities will expire gradually by 2026 and not all at once as initially planned. However, this does not go far enough for farmers. They are planning a week of mobilization against the government from January 8th to 15th, supported by their professional association.