Farmers protest across Spain, but no blockade in Madrid

Farmer protests continued this Saturday across Spain for the fifth day in a row, with full and partial closures of roads and highways, but without the blockade of the city of Madrid called for on social networks.

According to traffic authorities, the road protests have caused disruptions and congestion in regions such as Extremadura, Andalusia, Murcia, La Rioja, Aragon or Castilla-La Mancha.

However, there was less unrest and protests than in recent days.

The demonstrations are being called by Spain’s three agricultural confederations, as well as informal groups that are using social media to mobilize farmers.

On the Internet, the eponymous Platform 6F (with a reference to February 6, when demonstrations began in Spain), which breaks away from agricultural confederations and has taken part in several mobilizations in recent days, called for a protest this Saturday in Madrid with caravans of tractors and other vehicles.

The purpose, as suggested on the platform, was to cut off access to Madrid from early morning and this Saturday and bring tractors into the city center.

The appeal has not yet received a response.

According to authorities, until the end of the morning, no accidents or cuttings were recorded on the roads of the region and the city of Madrid due to the protests of farmers.

The call of Platform 6F prompted the Spanish security authorities to send to Madrid today some 540 riot police with special equipment to protect some places such as the headquarters of the Socialist Party (PSOE, which heads the government), a target mentioned in the calls to protests on the Internet.

Those officers were joined by members of the Guardia Civil, another police unit, and the Madrid Municipal Police, according to an official statement on Friday about increased security in the city.

In addition to Madrid, a special security apparatus with about 1,400 police officers was deployed this Saturday in Valladolid (in Castile and Leon), where the Goya Prize ceremony for Spanish cinema will be held that night, and is another target of potential protests by farmers.

European farmers, including in Portugal, have taken to the streets in recent weeks to demand flexibility in the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and more support for the sector.

The European Commission will prepare a proposal to reduce the administrative burden on farmers, which will be discussed by the 27 member states on February 26.

On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the withdrawal of the agency’s proposal to halve the use of pesticides in agriculture by 2030, a central part of European environmental legislation that is also one of farmers’ goals. protests.