Czech prime minister labels protesting farmers ‘supporters of Moscow’ — RT World News
Hundreds of tractors blocked downtown Prague as part of demonstrations against the European Union's agricultural policies
Prime Minister Petr Fiala has described Czech farmers who protested against EU agricultural policies, environmental requirements and high energy prices as pro-Russian.
On Monday, hundreds of tractors blocked off parts of Prague and disrupted traffic outside the country's agriculture ministry as protesters demanded the rejection of the EU's Green Deal, which calls for regulations on the use of certain chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions.
Farmers say the policies proposed by Brussels place a heavy burden on their businesses and make products more expensive and less competitive, especially when compared to imports from outside the European Union, such as those from countries like Ukraine.
However, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Fiala dismissed the demonstration and suggested that farmers who took their tractors to Prague on Monday “It has nothing to do with the struggle for better conditions for farmers.”
He added, “The demonstration is organized by people who, for example, do not hide their support for the Kremlin and seek to achieve goals other than the interests of farmers.” Fiala wrote, adding that the Czech government would only deal with those who… “They truly represent farmers and talk together about our agricultural needs.”
He also noted that Monday's protests in the Czech capital were not joined by the country's largest farmer organizations, such as the Agricultural Chamber, the Agrarian Union and the Private Farming Union.
The three organizations announced plans to hold a separate demonstration against the EU's green policies on Thursday in joint action with farmer associations from other EU member states. The Agricultural Chamber stated that farmers will drive their tractors and other machinery in convoys to the Czech border, but stressed that the demonstration will be symbolic and will not interfere with the operation of the border.
Similar protests have swept the European Union in recent months, occurring in countries such as Poland, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Bulgaria, Latvia and Slovenia. The demonstrators are demanding more government aid for the agriculture sector, less bureaucracy from Brussels, as well as tighter controls on imports from non-EU member states.
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