Farmers from a number of localities will mount a protest “against the police intimidation and abuses” in Chisinau next Monday. The farmers claim that after suspending the protests with economic demands, which the authorities recognized as justified, all the participants began to receive fines, IPN reports.
The “Farmers’ Force” Association noted that some of the farmers were visited at home by police officers who threatened them that if they don’t go to the police station, they will be brought by force. “Exorbitant fines were imposed, amounting to several hundred thousand lei. At the same time, some of the farmers risk being left without a tractor driving license. The police resumed the administrative proceedings brought against a number of farmers for the protests staged in November-December 2023,” the Association said.
The farmers are infuriated and consider that in a state with European aspirations such pressure is unacceptable. “We can compare the actions of farmers in several EU countries and the attitude of the law enforcement agencies towards them. The farmers presume that the police act based on instructions received from above and are aimed at intimidating the agricultural producers who intend to protest further to defend their rights,” noted the “Farmers’ Force”.
The protest was set to take place on Monday, March 18, near the Chisinau Police Inspectorate, starting at 09:00 a.m.
Throughout February, farmers mounted a number of protests, taking their tractors on the streets. They blocked access to the Leușeni customs post for multiple times. After a series of discussions with the authorities, a working group was created at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, which involves farmers. The authorities have provided the farmers with several support tools, including the emergency farm loan that is available since March 1. Also, from March 15, micro and small farmers can access the Working Capital Product. With a state guarantee of up to 1.6 million lei, but not more than 80% of the value of the loan, this financial instrument is designed to meet the immediate needs of the agricultural sector.
