On the eve of the inauguration gala for the Polish Presidency of the EU, Polish farmers descended on the capital Warsaw to protest against European policies affecting the farming sector.
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00:00As Poland is entering its first days of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union,
00:04farmers have taken to the streets of Warsaw in protest.
00:07Held on the same day as the opening gala of the Polish Presidency,
00:10Last year we protested, this year we continue to protest because nothing has been done.
00:17the protesters marched under the slogan, Five Times Stop, referring to the Mercator trade deal,
00:22the European Green Deal, the import of agricultural products from Ukraine,
00:26the destruction of the Polish forestry and fishing sectors, and problems in the Polish economy.
00:30A sweet problem that concerns sugar.
00:33It is being promoted for 1.5 PLN less than the production costs.
00:37So how can you sell something for less than the production costs,
00:40if someone really has to pay for it?
00:43So the planters, that is, us, are being harassed.
00:46It is one of many protests held in Poland and across Europe since December 2023,
00:50blocking roads and highways and picketing in front of government buildings.
00:53The European Union produces the best food in the world,
00:58while we open our market and invite food from Latin America.
01:02It's not just about cutting down tropical forests, destroying the Amazon,
01:06we are opening up.
01:07There are substances that are toxic to us, that come in food.
01:12I came here more than 400 kilometers to protest.
01:16By signing a deal with Mercosur,
01:18we exchanged German cars for cheaper food from South America.
01:23Today's protests ended in front of the National Theater,
01:26where the opening gala of the Polish presidency will be held.
01:33French protests show that protests make sense.
01:37We must protest, especially today, when the whole of Bialystok comes.
01:40We know that the President was scared and did not come.
01:44She was supposed to be here and she was scared of Polish farmers,
01:47she was scared of this protest.