The traffic was briefly brought to a halt by the protesting farmers on the famed avenue near the Arc de Triomphe monument in France, as reported by news agency AFP on Friday. On Friday, French police said they had arrested 66 people at a farmers' protest on the Champs-Elysees in central Paris that blocked traffic during the morning rush hour.
Farmers used tractors and bales of hay to block the traffic on the famed avenue near the Arc de Triomphe monument, only a short distance from President Emmanuel Macron's office, the Elysee, AFP reported. The protesting farmers, who held up banners on the avenue, stated that the action taken by them was aimed "at saving French agriculture".
Farmers across Europe have been protesting for weeks over what, according to them, are excessively restrictive environmental rules, competition from cheap imports from outside the European Union, and low incomes.
Some of the farmers who were taking part in the protest handed out bags of potatoes to motorists stuck in crawling traffic around the Arc de Triomphe, AFP reported. Several were seen chatting with police officers before the arrests. Farmers in France have continued to block roads, set fire to tyres, and lay siege to supermarkets, demanding more measures even after the government promised reforms.
On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron cancelled a “big debate” on the first day of the Paris Agricultural Fair with farmers, supermarket CEOs and members of environmental groups, as reported by AFP. The Paris Agricultural Fair is one of the world’s largest farm fairs which draws crowds every year.