Overview

• German farmers and truckers have been protesting nationwide against the government's plan to phase out diesel subsidies and agricultural vehicle tax exemptions, causing significant disruptions including blocking major highways and roads.
• The government's proposal is part of a plan to fill a €17 billion gap in the 2024 budget. Despite a partial climbdown, where the government agreed to phase out the subsidies within two years and retain the tax breaks for tractors, the farmers insist the plan be fully reversed.
• Farmers argue that the loss of these subsidies, which save a full-time farm several thousand euros annually, would unfairly burden them and potentially drive them out of business.
• The protests have been backed by the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is using the unrest as proof of Germans' dissatisfaction with current leadership.
• Concerns have been raised that the right to protest could be exploited by extremist groups, with calls circulating with coup fantasies and extremist groups forming.