French farmers block Paris streets in protest against free trade deal
NBC News••world
Key Points:
- Dozens of French farmers protested in Paris by driving about 100 tractors to oppose the EU's planned free trade deal with Mercosur countries Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay, fearing harm to their livelihoods.
- The protest, organized by the Rural Coordination union, aimed to pressure the French government, which farmers accuse of insufficiently opposing the deal.
- Farmers also expressed frustration over government sanitary measures related to a bovine disease, adding to their grievances against President Macron's handling of the trade agreement.
- Despite a ban, about 20 tractors entered central Paris, including near landmarks like the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower, while most were blocked at the city's outskirts.
- The EU is continuing negotiations on
