Paris has been invaded this morning by more than 100 tractors driven by furious farmers. Just before dawn, a tree was felled by the protestors in the west of the capital close to the Roland Garros tennis stadium. The farmers have warned more will follow. ‘They want to slaughter our cows, so we’re going to slaughter their trees,’ one farmer told reporters.

This is the France that the Paris elite despises: the France that loves its traditions, that works hard, pays its taxes and despairs at the country’s chronic mismanagement

There have been other acts of rebellion in the country. Access to the southern city of Rodez has been blocked and a fuel depot near Bordeaux has been encircled by tractors. There are also barricades on several motorways. Responding to the invasion of the capital, a government spokeswoman described the farmers’ actions as ‘illegal’, adding that they ‘will not stand for it’.

Bertrand Venteau, president of Coordination Rurale (the second largest farmers’ union), called the comments ‘despicable’ and drew attention to the two-tier response of the government. ‘There are [inner-city] riots everywhere, where there is a high level of tolerance,’ he said. ‘Yet today, it’s a refusal to compromise.’

The protests have been timed to coincide........

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