On Tuesday, about 10,000 Polish farmers took to the streets of Warsaw to protest against the agricultural and environmental policies of the European Union.
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"Although the official start of the march was set for 11:00, groups of protesters began to block streets from early in the morning," local media reported. The protest caused several public transport routes to be diverted or cut off, as well as traffic jams at the city's entrances and on major highways," RT reported.
The slogans "A wall for the farmer," "I am a farmer, not a slave," and "Green Deal = hunger" were displayed on a tractor pulling an imitation of a US Abrams tank made of hay.
After marching through several streets in central Warsaw, the protesters headed to the Lower House of Parliament and the office of Prime Minister Donald Tusk to present their demands.
"The farmers lit bonfires and fireworks in Defilad Square, in front of the Culture and Science Palace, where the police arrested a man who tried to set fire to a garbage container and then attacked an officer," RT reported.
While the farmers managed to be received by the President of the Lower House Szymon Holownia, they left disappointed with a meeting they described as "just a conversation."
"Nothing was agreed upon other than the promise to create a roundtable with representatives of farmers and authorities. Just words," one of the protest leaders, Szczepan Wojcik, said, emphasizing that "we expect real and concrete actions. For now, there is nothing."
"No agreement... Now we wait for Parliament and those in power to make a move. What we could do, we have done. Our voice has been heard," he added, as reported by RT.
The Polish farmers oppose the entry of Ukrainian agricultural products and criticize the European Union's Green Deal, which is a policy package aimed at promoting ecological transformation and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. To this end, the Green Deal includes initiatives in the areas of energy, transportation, industry, agriculture, and finance.