Angry farmers staged a powerful obstruction to Macron and poured manure

Peasant protests marred opening of Paris Agricultural Exhibition

Emmanuel Macron opened the Paris Agricultural Fair amid protests from farmers. The French President was “greeted” by whistles from hundreds of demonstrators, some of whom clashed with police.

Hundreds of protesting farmers clashed with police in Paris as Emmanuel Macron attended an annual agricultural exhibition on Saturday, Agence France-Press reported. The French president opened the fair as angry farmers blew whistles and shouted insults.

Police initially kept protesters at a safe distance while the head of the Fifth Republic toured the fair, tasting honey from Normandy and cheeses from the Alps and shaking hands with exhibitors. But as Macron entered the fair’s livestock area, hundreds of demonstrators broke down gates and clashed with police.

In the confusion that followed, the fair was repeatedly closed and then reopened to the public. Police arrested three people for causing disturbances but they were later released, Paris prosecutors said.

In a separate incident, farmers dumped manure on the stand of dairy company Lactalis, which they accuse of not paying enough for its milk.

Farmer leaders warned Macron that his visit to the fair – a fixture on the presidential calendar – would not go smoothly unless the government kept its promises to meet their demands.

The host of the Elysee Palace began the day at the fair with a two-hour meeting with the leaders of the three main farmers’ unions: the National Federation of Syndicates of Agricultural Exploiters (FNSEA), Young Farmers and the Rural Coordination.

Standing behind a plastic table, jacket removed and shirt sleeves rolled up, President Macron listened to complaints about prices, bureaucratic red tape and government aid. It was a step away from the national debate he had originally planned before abandoning it after a row over who could be invited, Agence France-Press said.

“I always prefer dialogue to confrontation,” Macron said. “I tell you that work is being done on the ground, we are in the process of simplifying the situation.”

However, the protesting farmers were not impressed by the president’s words. “Did you hear him? He doesn’t let us speak, he talks down to us. We want him to go away,” farmer Eric Labarre, a member of the FNSEA, told AFP.

Macron said he would meet farmers again in three weeks, after the fair closes on March 3.