French farmers stage massive protests, threatening to blockade Paris.

On Sunday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin ordered a large-scale police deployment to "prevent any blockade," by stopping convoys of trucks and tractors heading towards the capital Paris, airports, or central markets.

Farmers plan to cut Paris off from the rest of the country by blocking major transport routes leading to the French capital. Photo: PA

Across France, farmers have been using tractors and trucks to block roads and cause traffic jams. They plan to intensify their pressure campaign by establishing eight roadblocks along key routes leading to Paris on Monday afternoon.

The French government plans to deploy 15,000 police and paramilitary gendarmes in response, but the security forces have been instructed to maintain a "moderate" demeanor.

Interior Minister Darmanin said President Emmanuel Macron had ordered security operations to ensure that both Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in the north and Orly airport in the south of Paris remained open, and that the Rungis international wholesale food market in southern Paris continued to operate.

Mr. Darmanin said that police and gendarmes were also ordered to prevent any incursions into Paris itself.

Map showing the eight barricades that protesting farmers plan to erect around Paris. Graphic image: AFP/France24

Farmers from the Lot-et-Garon region had previously announced their intention to cut off the Rungis International Market, which supplies many fresh produce to Paris and the surrounding area.

French farmers are protesting a number of policies, including cuts to fuel tax subsidies and what they call unfair competition practices by the EU that lead to cheap imports.

France's new Prime Minister , Gabriel Attal, has made several concessions, but farmers say they are not enough. On Friday, he promised to gradually eliminate fuel taxes and "significantly simplify" paperwork where possible.

For several days now, French farmers have been using tractors to block traffic across the country and dumping large quantities of foul-smelling manure in front of government buildings.

Mai Vân (according to DW, AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nong-dan-phap-tiep-tuc-bieu-tinh-ram-ro-doa-phong-toa-paris-post282870.html