Latest: French farmer tractor protests restart, while taxi drivers target airports
Monday sees the convergence of two nationwide protests in France, both targeting roads. Taxi drivers have decided to extend last week's protests - which are about changes to the fare structure for medical transport - meanwhile farming unions have called for a restart of the protests over a planned new agricultural law. They are also angry that aid offered to them last year has still not materialised.
Both groups are using the same method - using their vehicles to create blockades or rolling roadblocks (known as
opération escargot
) to cause severe traffic disruption. Last week action from taxi drivers caused tailbacks of 450km in the Paris region.
Farmers
Farmers will once again be mounting tractor convoys, focusing on
autoroutes
and other main roads for go-slow actions.
Advertisement
Monday will see an especially large turnout in the greater Paris region, with the tractors gradually converging on the French parliament in order to stage a protest.
ON Monday morning severe disruption was reported on multiple
autoroutes
in the greater Paris region, including the RN118, RN12, RN14 and RN20.
In other parts of France, protests are planned at the préfecture - unions in Sarthe, Aisne, Ardennes and Marne have confirmed protest plans, others are likely to follow. It is therefore likely that there will be severe traffic disruption and road closures in the vicinity of the préfecture in multiple towns.
Taxi drivers
Last week's protests were initially planned to end on Friday - that was later extended until Sunday and then into this week, after an unsatisfactory meeting over the weekend with prime minister François Bayrou.
Drivers unions say that this week their blockades will be focused on specific targets - namely Paris' two airports and the Roland Garros tennis ground, where the French Open tournament is currently underway.
"From Monday, in the absence of progress, Paris international airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, will be blocked by taxis, and we will also take care of Roland Garros," Emmanuelle Cordier, president of the National Taxi Federation (FNDT), told France Info radio.
Alternatives
These protests are heavily targeted at the road network - so drivers should leave extra time for journeys, especially in the Paris region, and be prepared for delays and traffic jams.
They do not affect public transport, which will run as normal - both of Paris' airports and the Roland Garros ground are accessible via public transport - the airports are connected to the city via RER B while Orly is also on Metro line 14 and the T7 tram. Roland Garros is on Metro lines 9 or 10.
Advertisement
Although not all taxi drivers are joining the protests it will be likely harder to get a taxi. However TVC vehicles such as Uber, Bolt or Heetch are not involved in the protests - although they practice surge pricing so rides may be more expensive than usual.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Cambodia says to file complaint with ICJ over Thai border dispute
"Cambodia hopes that the Thai side will agree with Cambodia to jointly bring these issues to the International Court of Justice... to prevent armed confrontation again over border uncertainty," Hun Manet said during a meeting between MPs and senators. Military clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted in 2008 and have led to several years of sporadic violence, resulting in at least 28 deaths. The most recent occurred Wednesday, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a location known as the Emerald Triangle -- a joint border area between Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. The day after, Cambodia's foreign ministry sent a letter to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh demanding "an immediate and thorough investigation" into the "unprovoked attack". Describing the incident as "a violation of Cambodian sovereignty", Phnom Penh said it remained committed to resolving the issue through "peaceful and diplomatic avenues". Prime Minister Hun Manet said that even if the Thai side did not agree on bringing the issue to the ICJ, Cambodia would still file the complaint. He added that the border dispute was being "incited by small extremist groups in both countries", which could lead to further clashes. Thailand's ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP. Cambodia's military had said they were attacked first in Wednesday's incident, while the Thai side said their soldiers were responding to gunshots. The Thai and Cambodian militaries met the following day, agreeing to ease tensions. Thailand says a Joint Boundary Committee will meet in the next two weeks to resolve the issue. The Emerald Triangle is among the areas that will be named in the ICJ complaint, Hun Manet said. Another is Ta Moan Thom Temple, the backdrop for a video posted on social media earlier this year showing a woman singing a patriotic Khmer song which led to Bangkok lodging a formal protest to Phnom Penh. Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800-kilometre-long (500-mile) border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina. The 2008 military clashes erupted over a patch of land next to Preah Vihear Temple, a 900-year-old structure near their shared border.
LeMonde
11 hours ago
- LeMonde
US envoy says France can 'carve' Palestinian state out of the Riviera
The US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has lashed out at France's advocacy for recognition of a Palestinian state, saying that if it supported such an outcome it could "carve out a piece of the French Riviera" and create one. France is co-chairing with Saudi Arabia this month an international conference at the United Nations aimed at resurrecting the idea of a two-state solution, which the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes. Paris has also said it could recognize a Palestinian state itself this year. In an interview with Fox News published on Saturday, May 31, Huckabee called the initiative at the UN "incredibly inappropriate when Israel is in the midst of a war": "October 7 changed a lot of things," referring to the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. "If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I've got a suggestion for them − carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state. They are welcome to do that, but they are not welcome to impose that kind of pressure on a sovereign nation." Israel on Friday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of undertaking a "crusade against the Jewish state" after he called for European countries to harden their stance on Israel if the humanitarian situation in Gaza did not improve. The day before, Israel announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, with Defense Minister Israel Katz later vowing to build a "Jewish Israeli state" in the occupied territory. The settlements are regularly condemned by the United Nations as illegal under international law, and are seen as a major obstacle to the two-state solution. But Huckabee, a staunch advocate for Israel, has said there is "no such thing as an occupation" when it comes to the Palestinian territories.
Euronews
13 hours ago
- Euronews
Poland election's first exit polls show race too close to call
A preliminary exit poll prepared by the Ipsos research centre has shown liberal pro-EU candidate Rafał Trzaskowski to be ahead by a razor-thin margin in the presidential election's second round with 50.3% of the vote. His conservative opponent Karol Nawrocki won 49.7% of the vote. The final result is too close to call at this stage, with a more comprehensive count expected late on Sunday or on Monday morning. Turnout was 72.8% - higher than the 67.3% reported in the first round on 18 May. Voting started at 7 am and ended at 9 pm. At a conference at 6:30 pm, the chairman of the Polish National Electoral Commission said incidents had been reported during the voting, with "232 possible offences" taking place. The exit poll data was collected by the Ipsos research centre on behalf of three television stations: TVP, TVN and Polsat. This is a developing story and our journalists will update it as more news comes in. French authorities say two people died after celebrations around the country for Paris Saint-Germain's historic Champions League victory, European club football's biggest prize. A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the city of Dax during a PSG street party, according to the national police. Another person was killed in Paris when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations, the interior minister's office said. The circumstances of both deaths are being investigated. 'True PSG fans are getting excited about their team's magnificent performance. Meanwhile, barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris to commit crimes and provoke law enforcement," French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau commented in a post on social media on Saturday after the game. "It is unbearable that it is not possible to party without fearing the savagery of a minority of thugs who respect nothing.' A police officer was accidentally hit by fireworks in northwest France and placed in an artificial coma because of grave eye injuries, the national police service said. The interior ministry said 18 police officers in Paris were injured, along with three elsewhere in France, as were 192 people celebrating in the streets. A total of 294 people were arrested by 2 am, although the celebrations were mostly peaceful, apart from the descent into violence in some areas.
