Farmers attempt to storm regional parliament in Spain
Dozens of farmers in Spain have attempted to storm the regional parliament of the autonomous community of Navarre during a protest rally over fairer prices.
It was only with great difficulty that police units prevented the storming of the building in Pamplona on Thursday, where lawmakers were debating the budget of the autonomous community in the north of the country. Images broadcast on Spanish television showed officers using batons, but no injuries were reported.
Socialist regional president María Chivite criticized the violent action. "The speed with which the discourse of hatred and of delegitimizing institutions is progressing is very worrying," she told journalists. However, peaceful protest is permissible and must be respected, she added.
The farmers' protests have been going on in Spain for a month now. Tractors and other vehicles have repeatedly blocked motorways, roads and access roads to ports and wholesale markets. However, there have been no significant incidents to date.
In addition to fair prices, Spanish farmers are also demanding a stronger position in the food supply chain, stricter controls on imports from non-EU countries and fewer environmental regulations and bureaucracy.
The central government in Madrid has already made some concessions to farmers who help supply the whole of Europe with fruit and vegetables. However, these have been labelled insufficient by the farmers.
