Tens of thousands of people gathered in Warsaw on Feb. 27 to join the Polish farmers' protest against Ukrainian agricultural imports and EU environmental policies.
Polish farmers launched a new wave of protests on the border with Ukraine in early February in opposition to Ukrainian agricultural imports to the EU, claiming that Ukrainian imports create unfair competition.
The farmers are also against the European Commission's Green Deal policies, which have sparked protests in countries across the EU, including Belgium, Germany, France, Slovakia, Italy, Czechia, and Greece.
The ongoing protests continue to threaten Ukraine-Poland relations, as some participants dumped Ukrainian crops and displayed anti-Ukrainian slogans.
Some of the protesters carried placards through downtown Warsaw with anti-Ukraine slogans, as well as anti-EU slogans such as "down with the European Union" and "we are farmers, not EU-kolkhoz farmers," referring to a Soviet form of collective farm.
The city authorities estimated that 10,000 people had joined the march, though the organizers told journalists they expect as many as 50,000 participants.
The farmers will reportedly organize a general strike in Warsaw on March 6 if no action is taken to implement their demands.
Polish truckers may also resume protests at up to four border crossings with Ukraine on March 1, claiming that promises made to them by the Polish government have not been fulfilled.
The truckers, along with farmers, began a protest at Ukraine's border in November 2023 against the EU's liberalization of transit rules for Ukrainian truckers.
The truckers suspended their blockade in January after Warsaw promised to address the demands of the protesters.
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