French fishermen urged to end protests

A French fishermen’s leader on Wednesday called an end to protests that crippled cross-Channel traffic after the government agreed to unlock promised aid.

Fishermen held meetings to discuss the negotiations, but it remained unclear whether the call would be heeded by fishermen who launched the protests on May 10 to press for compensation for soaring fuel costs.
“We are not very satisfied with the announcement,” said Frederic Mateo, from a union representing trawler crews in Marseille in the south. Mateo described the government promise as “vague”

The fishermen escalated their protests, disrupting cross-Channel traffic and clashing with police in Paris as the government negotiated with the fishing committee.

Hundreds of ferry passengers were held up on either side of the Channel coast as fishermen formed blocked Calais, Dieppe, Boulogne-sur-mer and Saint-Malo.

The British port of Dover was also closed to ferry traffic as a result of the French protests, causing a tailback of trucks on the main highway from London.

In La Rochelle, dozens of farmers joined the striking fishermen who manned roadblocks cutting off access to the La Pallice fuel depot and commercial port, saying they too could not cope with the high price of fuel.

“We are in the same boat,” said David Linassier, president of a local farmers’ group. “The high price of diesel is also having a dramatic impact on our farming businesses.”

AFP