German Farmer Protests Painted as “Far Right” Activism by Out-of-Touch Politicians and Media
German farmers block roads with tractors in protest over the end of agriculture fuel tax breaks.
A few days ago, I noted that German farmers planned to renew their tractor demonstrations around the country to protest the end of agricultural fuel subsidies that their elite politicos didn’t feel were necessary for the new budget.
As I reported, the new protests began in earnest across Germany this week.
German farmers kicked off a week of nationwide protests against subsidy cuts on Monday, blocking roads with tractors and piling misery on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition as it struggles to fix a budget mess and contain rising far-right forces.
Convoys of tractors and trucks gathered on roads in sub-zero temperatures in nearly all 16 federal states, while protesters clashed with police and leading politicians warned that the unrest could be co-opted by extremists.
The protests have forced Scholz’s unpopular government into a tricky balancing act, trying to keep a lid on the unrest while sticking to fiscal discipline after a constitutional court ruling in November threw its spending plans into disarray.
“No beer without farmers,” read one protest banner, while another tractor had a poster from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that read “Our farmers come first.”
I don't think you have realized the size of the German farmers protest.
A never ending convoy of tractors blockading cities all over the country.
The mainstream media is hiding the scale of the protests 👇pic.twitter.com/y3mvydW3Ka
— PeterSweden (@PeterSweden7) January 8, 2024
Naturally, the politicians under fire had their response ready to go: Have the media portray the demonstrators as members of the “far right”. This report for Germany’s Deutsche Welle (DW) is a classic!
Communications consultant Johannes Hillje describes this as part of a “strategic battle fought by right-wing extremist media-makers.”
Far-right activists have rallied behind the farmers’ protest on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and X. And their comments are seen to be deliberately fanning the flames.
The far-right populist Alternative for Germany party (AfD) is using the protests on its many social media channels to attack the ruling center-left coalition government of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) and express solidarity with the farmers protesting against the cuts in subsidies for agricultural diesel.
Good morning!
In case you missed it, German Farmers continue to protest and the Mainstream Media continues to make sure you're distracted.
German Farmers know how to do it right! pic.twitter.com/etVSMbYleL
— 🇨🇦Unacceptable Canadian Girl🇨🇦 (@AreOhEssEyeEe) January 9, 2024
Of course, count on our own Politico to join the fray!
“Right-wing extremists and other enemies of democracy are trying to infiltrate and instrumentalize the protests,” a spokesperson for Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, said in Berlin. The country’s federal police, Faeser added, believe these groups want to foment a “general strike” or even rioting to trigger an “overthrow” of the government.
It would not be the first time far-right groups have tried to gain political sway by latching onto protest movements in Germany — something similar was evident in pandemic-era anti-vaccine protests and in demonstrations against military aid to Ukraine.
The infiltration concerns come after some 100 farmers tried on Thursday to accost Greens Economy Minister Robert Habeck, preventing him from disembarking from a ferry in northern Germany following a private visit to an island in the North Sea. Police described the encounter as “very, very tense.”
Farmers Boo German Minister of Agriculture in Erlenbach
This evening marks the second day of nationwide protests against diesel tax hikes.
Farmers say:
“We’re not going to be pushed around by politicians who have no idea what it’s like to work the land.”
“The government needs… pic.twitter.com/URAPa99YYU
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) January 9, 2024
We all recall how brutally Justin Trudeau and the Canadian progressive bureaucracy treated their truckers, who organized massive demonstrations against the continuing COVID restrictions in 2022. Compare the treatment of the “Freedom Convoy” to that enjoyed by anti-Israel activists today..
In Canada, patriotic truckers get their bank accounts frozen but pro-Palestine protesters blocking a Jewish community get hot coffee delivered to them by police. pic.twitter.com/GJbx2Ww2Fg
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 7, 2024
German politicians may be gearing up to treat their farmers with Trudeau-like arrogance. However, I suspect that the Netherlands model will be closer to reality and that Germans will begin to disempower their ineffective and out-of-touch bureaucrats.
This is especially true now that most people recognize the media as purveyors of propaganda paid for by the elite establishment.
The German farmers are being manipulatively framed by certain commentators as a “right wing” protest. This is lazy trope smearing. They are fighting for their industry & livelihoods. It’s the sort of protest that genuine left-wingers used to show support and solidarity towards. pic.twitter.com/X9kndk5bqw
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) January 9, 2024
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Any time anyone labels someone as “far-right” ask them to define “right” and “far-right.” Force them to not resort to “Well, Trump!” No, give me a definition, not an anecdotal example.
And, BTW, these farmers are protesting the loss of gov’t money. They’re protesting the loss of subsidies.
That makes them, at least nominally, left. They’re unhappy because the gov’t gravy train is slowing down. They’re not looking for freedom, they’re looking for other people’s money.
Biting the hand that bribes them. How ungrateful.
And, don’t get me wrong. I kind of support them.
Just don’t get fooled that because they’re protesting a Progressive gov’t, that they aren’t clamoring for Progressive things.
“They’re not looking for freedom, they’re looking for other people’s money.”
Not a fair condemnation. This is like when the government refers to school funds as “their money” instead of your money, forcibly extracted from you.
One of the “benefits” they are fighting for is their tax exemption on diesel. Just like in the USA, diesel tax is justified by road maintenance costs, and their equipment is not driven on public roads. Bottom line is that (at least on this issue, which I have read i the primary one) they are demanding that the government “stay the hell out of their way and stop hampering them financially,” which is a right-wing virtue indeed.
That’s right, virtually all costs associated with agricultural production are tax exempt. In the US anyways.
True but we subsidie our farmers everyone does
Not sure why
To an extent, I think there is a reasonable national-security argument to be made in favor of (some) farm subsidies. At least that was the original rationale for them (I believe). Farming is a brutally tough endeavor where you’re at the mercy of Mother Nature and global issues that can drastically move commodity prices one way or the other. So there is some real benefit in certain economic policies such as subsidies, tariffs, etc to protect our domestic food production capability.
That being said, I also believe that these government goodies, like they always do, have grown out of hand and become a gross exaggeration of what they were originally intended to be. And some of them have just gone completely off the rails.
For example the ‘green’ subsidies for corn production to produce ethanol… just a complete farce and bastardization of the markets all done to sooth a mentally ill teenager to sleep at night.
I’m loving it. May this spread around the world!!
So the government is entitled to the farmers’ labor? The “subsidy” is a tax exemption, not actual payments to the farmers.
The government will blame farmers when food prices increase. I guess the other problem is will farmers lose market shares to other countries who do subsidize their farmers?
Amazing how the Leftist/Dhimmi-crat media lapdogs/trained seals/shills/propagandists never derisively refer to Muslim supremacists, dhimmi/Dhimmi-crat supporters and enablers of Muslim supremacists, “green” environmental zealots, “Anti-fa” and “Black Lives Matter: thugs and the rest of their vile brethren, as members of the “Far-Left” or “Left-wing.”
No, these idiots are perennially referred to in reverential and glowing terms as allegedly enlightened, sagacious and magnanimous “Progressives,” “Liberals” and “activists.”
Because it’s a religion.
“Right” really just means “Not of the body” or “Infidel.”
I do not think is is a real religion. I think that Muhammed the barbarian created Islam to cement his power. Islam is a cult and should be treated as such.
He mostly mentioned “left” and not Islam so much.
Progressivism is a religion.
So is Islam – a false god is still a god. (See, “Dianetics”)
Isn’t it grand that Muslims are pissed at Biden? Where do they think they are going? Hopefully out of America, by choice or otherwise.
The can all move to Minnesotostan.
GWB deftly defined the flaw in this name calling: “They’re protesting the loss of subsidies.”
Hardly a ringwing extremist position.
But, like open borders, prefered pronouns, statue iconoclasm, scamdemics, censorship, etc. it’s all about submission and compliance. The zany narrative and name-calling is just a means to an end.
You will eat da bugs, own nothing, and stfu. Or else.
Not being charged a tax is a “subsidy”? So you’re arguing the money belongs to the government, and being permitted to keep some is a subsidy?
The government could always spend less of the money it takes by force. It could stop subsidizing the “immigrants” living on the dole, or stop paying endless subsidies for “college students”.
“Not being charged a tax is a “subsidy”? So you’re arguing the money belongs to the government, and being permitted to keep some is a subsidy?”
sHHHH!
You’re not supposed to notice that they’re arguing in favor of the idea that money belongs to the government.
You’re supposed to get angry at the farmers for wanting to keep what they’ve earned.
Having the socialist-controlled MSM call you “far-right” is semantically equivalent to having the fat, screaming, rainbow-haired slut with the pole sign call you a “Nazi.” It’s just a more genteel version of the same baseless insult.
Germany is trying to ban the AfD now.
I do not eat fruits or vegetables, so my initial response was “meh” (I know farmers grow the food fed to the animals from which I get the meat I love…), but the sign that said no farmers no beer really spoke to me 🙂
For the farmers there’s one real answer for which the government has no counter. Grow only enough food for your own family and don’t sell any onto the market. If they really want to make a point, then let food prices Skyrocket and then explain it because the government made fuel to expensive you couldn’t afford to grow them food anymore.
Unfortunately, this strategy doesn’t put any money in your pocket that you would need to buy repair parts, fuel, power, heat, clothing, connectivity, and all the other things you can’t eat.
On the other hand it doesn’t put you at negative earnings which is the alternative there being offered
It also doesn’t let you buy fertilizer… or (if we’re going full medieval) the hay needed to generate fertilizer.
The globalist left is just itching to go full dekulakization on farmers and inflict all the misery that it entails.
Far Right is the new normal.
But only to the old normals.
Farmers buy equipment, seed, and fertilizer at retail then add a lot of sweat to grow food that is sold at wholesale. They rarely dictate prices but take what the market is offering.
I will always side with the farmers.
I do not think those words mean what they think they mean.
“German Farmer Protests Painted as “Far Right” Activism by Out-of-Touch Politicians and Media”
Leslie – Why do you convey the notion that the politicians and/or media is “out of touch?” They are happily ensconced in their master’s reality that there are too many people on the planet and are simply cheer leading their team toward the victory or reducing the world’s population by any means. Be forthright.
They’re trying to reduce the world population, people. They can’t do that with all these pesky people growing food.
Wife’s in Munich now. Hasn’t seen a tractor but the hotel has a lock on the room thermostat and turns off the heat during the day
If you can’t get extra heat from a locked thermostat, you’re not using the hotel ice bucket creatively enough.