Three thousand tractors, 2,000 trucks, about 10,000 farmers from all over Germany are meeting for the planned, mass agricultural rally on Monday morning, from seven to three in the afternoon at the Brandenburg Gate.

Tractors and trucks are already starting on Sunday night from various German states, their long march to the German capital, while they are expected to block the morning hours of the motorways and main arteries of Berlin with the security authorities also on the lookout. They are also joined by fishermen and representatives of the food and catering industry.

The demands of the farmers remain clear: full continuation of the subsidy for diesel fuel, which they consider crucial for the productive sector, but also wider support for the agricultural sector, which in recent years has been strongly affected by unfair competition from abroad and the wider consequences of the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis.

German farmers feel wronged and neglected by Germany’s central policy, despite assurances to the contrary from the responsible Minister of Agriculture Cem Ezdemir from the Greens.

Soltz appeal for moderation and compromises

However, the Solz government is also visibly adamant, which does not seem to be backing down on the issue of agricultural subsidies in the spirit of the wider planned cuts, while a government meeting with representatives of farmers is also expected on Monday.

As for the Liberal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner, he says “yes” to a broader discussion on the problems of farmers and especially the removal of bureaucratic obstacles in the agricultural sector, but the policy of subsidies in his view does not solve the structural problems of this sector.

In the meantime, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s video message on social media to German farmers, calling on them for moderation, balance and compromises, is causing a sensation. He warns citizens about the instrumentalization of mobilizations by the extreme right, speaking of a “toxic mixture”.

“When legitimate protests turn into anger and contempt for democratic processes and institutions, then we all lose,” he says, among other things, in his message.