UN experts on Jan. 26 cautioned against the escalating use of arrests and criminal process against agricultural trade union activity in France, after authorities detained 52 farmers during peaceful protests in Paris earlier this month.

On Jan. 15, union leaders and members of the Confédération Paysanne held protests in opposition to the EU-Mercosur Deal, signed in December 2024 but still pending ratification, which would reduce tariffs and more deeply link the European market with the bloc of South American nations. Participants unfurled banners in offices of the Agriculture Ministry in protest of the agreement.

Protesters included a large delegation from French overseas regions of Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion and Mayotte, all of which have denounced unfair import costs imposed upon them by the government. Three key spokespersons were among those arrested.

Experts warned that arresting and charging peaceful protesters may violate freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression and association, enshrined in both the French Constitution and international law. According to farmer advocate groups, use of the BRAM-M—a special motorized police unit—to quell the protest signaled criminalization of peaceful assembly, raising concerns about proportionality and necessity of police force.

The EU-Mercosur Deal is a free-trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur bloc nations of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The agreement, which has been debated for 25 years, would connect South American farmers with millions of EU consumers. However, domestic producers in France fear the deal will undercut them and drive them out of the market.

The European Parliament voted on the agreement on January 21, with 334 votes in favor and 324 against, although it still awaits ratification by EU member states. Some French officials and lawmakers have resisted ratifying the agreement unless it includes safeguards for European farmers, environmental protections, and regulatory parity.

Farmer and agricultural worker advocate groups like La Via Campesina, the Serikat Petani Indonesia (Indonesian Peasants' Union), Kenyan Peasants League, European Coordination Via Campesina and the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organizations have condemned the detentions and called on French authorities to cease what they describe as "the criminalization of peasant movements."

From JURIST, Jan. 27. Used with permission. Internal links added.