Police break up Warsaw countryside march

10 July 1998

Police break up Warsaw countryside march

By FWi staff

POLICE in Poland have used tear gas and batons to disperse a mass demonstration by an estimated 5,000 farmers in Warsaw.

The farmers had blocked a main road in the Polish capital to protest against falling prices for agricultural products.

Fighting broke out when police tried to re-open the road. There are no reports of any injuries or arrests.

The farmers claim their livelihoods are being ruined by imports of grain and sugar. They are demanding government protection, improved credit facilities and a guaranteed market for their own produce.