Macron met with boos and calls for his resignation at the Paris Agricultural Show

French President Emmanuel Macron opened the Hall of Agriculture in Paris this Saturday with a rally marked by whistles and chants calling for the resignation of the French head of state, while four people were arrested.

France’s biggest agricultural fair, expected to attract some 600,000 visitors, started delayed by about four-and-a-half hours after clashes between police and farmers.

“Macron, resign,” “dung” and “disappear” were some of the words chanted by those present as the French president opened the exhibition, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Three of those detained were soon released, but one remained in police custody, daily Le Parisien reported.

In the morning, about an hour before the scheduled official opening, dozens of protesters burst through the gates and clashed with security officers at the Agricultural Hall.

The start of the event was delayed after the intervention of a large number of police who entered the premises to contain the protesters.

Macron started the day with breakfast with agricultural union leaders in a room protected from outside whistles.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Macron will make several announcements at the meeting, including setting a baseline “floor price” to “guarantee farmers’ incomes” as well as an emergency plan to reduce risk to farms.

In response to the ridicule, Macron said it was impossible to “respond to the agricultural crisis in a few hours.”

“Those who came here to present their livestock and their work took months and years of work… This fair must go well and calmly,” Macron demanded.

The crisis in the sector, which had been dragging on since the autumn, erupted in January, leading to two weeks of motorway closures that were finally lifted earlier this month.