Farmer Protests Spread to the Balkans
Europe’s farmers refuse to be silenced. Around 1,500 tractors and thousands of farmers brought Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, to a standstill on April 25. This was the second time in a month that Slovenian farmers protested against stricter European Union rules on carbon taxation and nitrogen emissions, among other environmental policies that are hurting farmers across Europe.
If the EU continues on its current course, it is likely to alienate large parts of its population, creating greater political instability and fertile ground for radical movements.
Slovenian farmers accuse Brussels of creating laws “written by radical environmentalists far away from farms,” according to Euractiv. Anton Medved, head of the Trade Union of Slovenian Farmers, told Euractiv: “Since our voice is not being heard … and the public perceives farming organizations as agreeing with many of the restrictive legislative measures, there is no other way than for us to speak up in a loud and clear manner.”
Too radical for the radicals: On April 18, the European Parliament approved stricter rules on carbon taxation. Yet even the Left party and the Green Party opposed the deals out of fear they would lead to widespread protests over rising energy costs.
Beyond Slovenia: Mass protests by farmers started in the Netherlands in June 2022. Since then, highways and cities have been shut down in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland. The EU’s biggest agricultural producers happen to include France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
Fertile ground for revolution: Though the European Parliament continues to approve these radical measures, not all members are content. Manon Aubry, a French left-wing Member of Parliament, told the Financial Times: “I hope I am wrong but in a few years’ time people will hate climate policies. People will go to the far-right parties.”
A shift to the right could certainly be one of the long-term results of Brussels’s radical climate policies. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry identifies this particular trend as worthy of great attention. He writes:
We need to watch the European Union for a man stepping in and seizing control of that entity through flatteries. He is going to hijack the EU. … Politics in Europe are going to shift dramatically to the right.
—Daniel Unlocks Revelation
A series of crises will combine to both reduce the EU’s size and deepen its union. As at other times in Europe’s history, a strongman will be called upon to lead this superpower. It is certainly possible that such a leader could harness the discontent created by radical environmental policies. Though these policies currently weaken a key pillar of Europe by bankrupting its farmers, they could soon help galvanize Europe in support of a leader who aims to transform Europe into a superpower.
To learn how this leader will unite Europe, read A Strong German Leader Is Imminent, by Gerald Flurry.
