Black Forest - Steinmeier speaks with protesting farmers
Farmers in the Black Forest community of St. Peter, not far from an event with the Federal President, protested against a planned end to tax breaks. The traditional televised Christmas concert was recorded in the parish church of the spa town on Monday evening, attended by Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his wife Elke Büdenbender and other guests.
The Head of State met two farmers on the fringes of the concert who presented their concerns, as was announced in the evening by the Office of the Federal President. It was a friendly and reasonable conversation. Steinmeier had promised to take the matter to Berlin.
Farmers with around 30 tractors gathered in a meadow in the village. More were not allowed through by the police, participants reported. There were no incidents or special occurrences, as a police spokesperson reported on request in the early evening.
Earlier, there had already been protests in Freiburg, around 20 kilometers away, where up to 200 tractors were counted according to the police. Farmer Andreas Schwär from St. Märgen told the German Press Agency that the action in St. Peter had been planned spontaneously. A meeting with the Federal President was not planned.
The traditional TV Christmas concert is hosted by Johannes B. Kerner. The program was launched in 1995 on the initiative of the then Federal President Roman Herzog and his wife Christiane to celebrate Christmas Eve together with the people of Germany. ZDF broadcasts the program on Christmas Eve (December 24) at 6.00 pm. Among the guests in St. Peter's were the Archbishop of Freiburg, Stephan Burger, and the Lord Mayor of Freiburg, Martin Horn (non-party).
According to a spokesperson from the Badischer Landwirtschaftlicher Hauptverband, actions were organized decentrally in the southern Baden region. In Berlin, thousands of farmers protested with a long column of tractors. Farmers' President Joachim Rukwied called on the coalition government to withdraw its plans to cut agricultural diesel and vehicle tax.
Press release ZDF
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- The agrarian issues in Baden-Württemberg, specifically in the St. Peter community of the Black Forest, require urgent attention from policymakers.
- Freiburg, located approximately 20 kilometers away, has also seen protests from farmers, with around 200 tractors reported by the police.
- Steinmeier, being the Federal President of Germany, expressed his intention to steer the conversation about the farmers' concerns to Berlin.
- Media coverage of the event highlighted the role of prominent figures such as Elke Büdenbender, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Archbishop of Freiburg Stephan Burger, and Lord Mayor of Freiburg Martin Horn.
- Protests in the agricultural sector, including the one in St. Peter, have been echoed in Berlin, where thousands of farmers demonstrated with a long column of tractors.
- The head of the Badischer Landwirtschaftlicher Hauptverband has stated that actions were organized decently across the southern Baden region, advocating for the withdrawal of plans to cut agricultural diesel and vehicle tax.
- In the heart of Berlin, farmers' President Joachim Rukwied called upon the coalition government to reconsider their decision, emphasizing the pressing needs of the agrarian community in Germany.
Source: www.stern.de
