Fears grow over protest in Germany

Concern is growing in Germany that the far-right Alternative for Deutschland party, or AfD, will use the country's biggest agricultural sector protest in years to stir up discontent and anger toward the ruling coalition government.

Last week, police used pepper spray to break up a blockade of around 100 farmers who prevented Economy Minister Robert Habeck from getting off a ferry on his return from holidays, an incident that Habeck said made him "thoughtful, yes, even concerned, that the mood in the country is heating up to such an extent".

Despite a partial government u-turn over the key issues of cutting diesel subsidies and tax breaks on farming vehicles, an eight-day protest will start on Monday, with freight carriers also taking part, in opposition to higher road tolls for heavy goods vehicles, culminating in a gathering of lorry drivers in Berlin on Jan 18 and 19.

The Guardian newspaper reports that in some parts of the country, gallows have been seen with traffic lights on, symbolizing the colors of the parties in the governing coaltion — red for the Social Democrats, yellow for the liberal Free Democrats, and the Green Party.

On social media, the AfD has spoken of workers being "driven into ruin by an irresponsible political leadership like in the middle ages", and called on people to join a "general strike".

In December, Reuters reported that support for the AfD had reached a record high of 23 percent, following the government's difficult passing of its 2024 budget, and there is concern that more economic problems could push voters towards the AfD, ahead of key local elections in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia later this year.

The blockade of Habeck's journey has been heavily criticized, including by the head of Germany's farming union, Joachim Rukwied, who said "personal attacks, insults, threats, coercion or violence are quite simply not on".

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, a Green Party colleague of Habeck, commented "democracy thrives on tough exchanges of views on the issues … wherever words are replaced by mobbing and arguments are replaced by violence, a democratic boundary has been overstepped".

But AfD leader Alice Weidel said the incident showed that Habeck "is no longer taken seriously by the citizens … and instead of seeking dialogue, he'd rather flee on a ferry".

The east of Germany has proven to be fertile ground for the AfD.

In June, the party won its first election for the head of a district council in the southeastern town of Sonneberg.

In July, it won its first mayoral election in Raguhn-Jessnitz in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and in December, it won its first bigger town mayoral vote in Pirna near the Czech border.

So far, the mainstream parties have operated a so-called firewall of non-cooperation with the AfD, but with recent polls showing that it has higher levels of support than them, that approach may become increasingly politically impractical.

Germany's next federal elections are not due until 2025 but a survey published by Bild Zeitung in mid-December showed 59 percent of people want elections in 2024.