In France, fishermen join farmers in protest of high cost of diesel fuel
June 2, 2008
Soaring oil prices in France prompt farmers, fishermen and drivers to demonstrate, blocking ports and gas stations.
We Americans may whine about the rising cost of gas. But in France, indeed all of Europe, where fuel prices have always been much higher then in the US, rising fuel costs have been more than an inconvenience, they are a threat to business, especially for those in agriculture and fishing. Small producers who buy their own diesel fuel for tractors and fishing boats have seen fuel costs skyrocket to prohibitive levels to balloon their total cost of production. These French workers have been protesting, mostly peacefully but disruptively, all over France, especially at French ports in Normandy, Brittany and Marseilles.
In the French port city of Quimper, between 1,000 (accorindg to French police) and 2,000 (according to organizers) protested in the streets. Fishermen were joined by local taxi drivers who showed up in solidarity. Local shops also closed, also in “solidarity” but also perhaps fearing reprisals from angry local fishermen and farmers if they stayed open. Fishmongers had even less reason than other merchants to open their doors, suffering from either scarce wares, high prices or both. Farmers in the area, also protesting high fuel costs, chose to voice their displeasure on the roads yesterday, blocking access routes in Brittany. Most ports all over Normandy and Brittany were “on strike”. Elsewhere, French farmers blocked ports in Toulouse and Dijon. And near Annecy, farmers used tractors to barricade roads into town, making any delivery impossible. Farmers are calling for France to lift taxes on fuel to make up for the rising costs. President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, who had promised during his campaign to be “President of purchasing power”, went on the radio to remind protestors that part of the TVA (or VAT, Value Added Tax) tax on fuel goes to care for poverty-level French families. Sarkozy’s hands are somewhat tied by the fact the France is not doing well financially at the moment, even outside of the gas crisis. In 2009 France may be the only country in theEU to run a deficit that exceeds the 3% cap on GNP dictated by the EU for all its members.
To the south of France in Marseille, an association of Mediterranean fishing workers and longshoremen announced a general strike until at least Monday of next week. They engaged in sporadic blocking of ports, contending with French security forces and riot police; however violence has been avoided at least for now. But the protest against the high cost of fuel threatens to spill over into trucking, and truck drivers are talking of an operation escargot or slowdown over the next few days in the regions Lorraine, Franche-Comté or Brittany. And French taxi drivers may not be far behind. With both the ports and the roads blocked or hampered by protests, strikes and slowdowns, it’s only a matter of time before all of France sees the effects at their shops and supermarkets.
And France is not alone. In Italy, Spain and Portugal, agriculture and fishing propretors are threatening massive strikes and disruptions.
Comments
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.