Hundreds of tractors cut the AP-7 and block access to Mercabarna and the port of Tarragona
This Tuesday, a new protest by farmers is taking place in Catalonia. Hundreds of tractors have started a new day of slow marches from various parts of Catalonia since 7:00 am. The Girona farmers have cut off the N-2 near Pontós, where they have left several tractors to block the passage. The road is closed in both directions, although initially the farmers allowed some vehicles to travel on it. France has banned trucks from traveling south from the border and forces them to queue at Pertús.
The farmers manage to cut the AP-7 in Pontós
The farmers have managed to cut the traffic of the AP-7 in Pontós shortly before 10:00. They have opened an access and entered the road by setting up barricades with tires, logs and wiring. There were some moments of tension with the protesters when the tractors surrounded some vans of the Mobile Brigade, but eventually the officers withdrew. The will of the demonstrators is to spend the night on the road again, as they did last week in Medinyà.
Barricade at AP-7
A group of farmers from Girona has managed to reach the AP-7 from Pontós on foot. They cut the perimeter fence and got on top of the road, where they jammed several pallets and managed to momentarily cut the road in both directions. Five vans from the Mobile Brigade have reached the cut and have made the farmers leave the highway. At the moment, riot police are keeping a group of about fifty farmers at the roadside.
Blocking the entrance to Mercabarna
In Barcelona, around twenty tractors have been blocking the entrance to Mercabarna since this morning. From the first hour they blocked access to the Prat, and since midday they have also extended it to a second entrance to Mercabarna, the access to Barcelona. As agreed with the Mossos d’Esquadra, the blockade of the main entrance to the market will remain closed until 4:00 p.m.
Road closures
In Tarragona, tractors travel from Vendrell, Bisbal del Penedès and Rodenyà towards Valls, and there is a slow march on the AP-7 motorway between Camarles and L’Ampolla, in the direction of Tarragona. These marches, together with the intensity of traffic at rush hour, are causing delays at different road points in Catalonia.