On Thursday evening, hundreds of farmers were waiting for the Green Party politician to get off the scheduled ferry after returning home from his vacation. He gave the news About him in Bild on Friday. According to reports, the crowd blocked the pier and after the ferry docked, several people tried to board it.
The minister spent his vacation on the island of Haleg Hoog in the Wadden Sea, and returned home from there, but farmers protesting against the planned reduction of agricultural subsidies blockaded the port called Schlützel.
Wanting to improve the situation, Habeck suggested to the demonstrators that three of their representatives board the ship, but the farmers rejected this form of negotiation. Their counter-suggestion for Habaek to join them at the dock was rejected by the minister's bodyguards due to the angry crowd and unclear security situation.
The three policemen who arrived at the scene also deployed pepper spray to disperse the crowd, but they failed, so the ferry carrying the Minister of Economy was forced to leave the port and return to the island, and it only reached the shore on a later ferry. After the demonstration.
The politician comes from Schleswig-Holstein, the border region between Germany and Denmark, and usually spends his holidays in this region. The demonstrators and demonstrations have never hindered your movement.
The reason for the farmers' discontent is that the German government was forced to re-plan this year's budget due to the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court last year, and more agricultural benefits will be deleted from it. According to the plans, the tax deduction for diesel fuel for agricultural machinery will be phased out.
Several prominent German politicians condemned the farmers' actions on Thursday evening.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced through his spokesman that the port siege is “shameful” and “violates the rules of democratic coexistence.” Although the Chancellor respects the right to protest, no one can ignore the intensity of political debates.