In France, police on Saturday cleared the last blockades of farming union Confédération Paysanne, which continues to protest with others against large commercial entities.
Road blockades in France, which stretched from north to south over two weeks, have largely ended following numerous policy announcements by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, covering pesticides, imports, inheritances, and livestock aid. However, protests continue in other European countries such as Spain, Italy, and Germany.
Traffic had returned to normal on the entire Vinci Autoroutes network by 22:30 on Saturday, following the clearing of the A10, the final blocked highway near Poitiers.
Approximately 80 demonstrators were evicted early on Saturday, according to Jean-François Guitton, General Secretary of the Loire-Atlantique Confédération Paysanne. He lamented the strong police presence, saying: "We are being moved on by the forces of law and order, who came with significant means. We are being evicted while we remained entirely peaceful."
The Loire-Atlantique prefecture stated that the site had been cleared due to the risk of public disorder, potential shortages, and loss of fresh produce. One individual resisted the eviction and was arrested for contempt and rebellion.
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The Confédération Paysanne criticised the French Government's approach to union protests in a statement, noting apparent unfair treatment of different movements and labour organisations.
Throughout the protests, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin gave instruction to the police and gendarmerie to allow the farmer's blockades and actions, unless they attempted to approach Rungis or Paris.
