Farmers in St. Peter, situated near an event with Germany's Federal President, voiced their concerns over an impending end to tax breaks. The event, a traditional Christmas concert, took place in the parish church of the spa town on Monday night. Steinmeier, along with his wife and other guests, attended the event. Two farmers got a chance to discuss their issues with Steinmeier on the event's fringes. Steinmeier assured them he'd bring up the matter in Berlin, promising a reasonable dialogue.
Around 30 tractors, led by farmers, set up camp in a village meadow. While more tractors attempted to join the protest, the police prevented them from doing so. Police reported no significant incidents or disturbances from the gathering. Earlier in Freiburg, around 20 kilometers away, a similar protest took place with up to 200 tractors participating. According to Farmer Andreas Schwär from St. Märgen, the St. Peter protest was impromptu, and a meeting with the Federal President was not planned.
Prominent figures like Johannes B. Kerner, the Archbishop of Freiburg, Stephan Burger, and Lord Mayor of Freiburg, Martin Horn, also graced the event. The traditional TV Christmas concert, broadcast on ZDF at 6.00 pm on Christmas Eve (December 24), was organized due to the initiative of the former Federal President Roman Herzog and his wife, christened as the German People's Concert.
While protests against agricultural policies have been a region-wide phenomenon in southern Baden, Berlin saw an especially substantial demonstration with thousands of farmers taking part. Farmers' President Joachim Rukwied urged the coalition government to reconsider its decisions affecting agricultural diesel and vehicle tax.
Enrichment insights indicate that agricultural protests in Baden-Württemberg, primarily focusing on the Neckar-Alb region, have mainly been driven by oppositions to wind farm developments. Protesters, led by the "Gegenwind Neckar-Alb" group, have collected over 440,000 letters objecting to wind farm plans in 40 areas. The regional association responsible for designing land for wind farms received about 280,000 printed letters and 160,000 on a CD, with a cost of 104,000 euros for digitalization. The government responded by revising the sub-regional wind power plan, promising to present a revised version mid-2024.
