A standoff between French farmers and traveling squatters reached a foul climax when landowners, fed up with years of inaction, resorted to spraying manure around the area to reclaim their land.
A large number of caravans had settled in the Hautes-Vosges region without permission, prompting at least six farmers to form a slurry-spraying convoy, dousing the fields and surrounding the illegal settlers in waste.
The farmers’ action was received with much appreciation from netizens, some of whom noted that squatters are a growing problem in Europe.
Frustration boiled over as farmers felt abandoned by authorities
Image credits: LOAGRI
The farmers’ foul-smelling counterattack was caught on video and widely shared on online platforms such as YouTube.
The video showed tractors looping around numerous white caravans, which were described as an “illegal gypsy camp.” The tractors left behind steaming trails of slurry in their wake, according to The Telegraph.
Image credits: LOAGRI
Slurry is a mix of manure and water, and it is known to be extremely foul-smelling. According to the Daily Mail, using slurry has become a known tactic of farmers who wish to get rid of unwanted people in their lands.
Despite being on the farmers’ property illegally, the squatters could be seen in the video chasing tractors in an attempt to stop the stinky onslaught.
Image credits: LOAGRI
At one point, a man could be seen jumping onto a moving tractor, pounding on the driver’s window in protest. Others attempted to form a human barricade around their caravans to block the farmers from advancing.
Loic Madre, the photographer who filmed the video of the farmers’ initiative, told the Mail that the squatters were occupying grassland intended to be used for animal feed.
“It was difficult to negotiate with the travelers. They refused to listen. The farmers received no support from the local authorities or the police. So they handled it on their own! As you can see in the images,” the photographer said.
The photographer also noted that the farmers were successful in their efforts, as the squatters did leave after a few days. Unfortunately, the field had already been damaged.
Image credits: LOAGRI
“The meadow was badly damaged, but they left,” the photographer noted.
Local officials have admitted that squatters are a growing problem for landowners
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Local officials have acknowledged that squatters are a recurring problem. Pascal Claude, mayor of the affected town, expressed sympathy for the farmers.
“The problem is that we find ourselves alone, powerless. They come back every year. We asked them to leave, but they won’t. There have been clashes with the farmers. We understand why they are not happy,” the mayor said.
The squatters, who are reportedly part of an evangelical mission from eastern France, have returned to the area each summer despite the repeated requests to vacate.
Farmers, for their part, have argued that they are fighting a double standard. “They can settle there without any problem, while we are bound by regulations,” one anonymous landowner said.
The farmer claimed to have received d**th threats from the squatters as well. Thus, with law enforcement being unhelpful, the farmers ended up taking things into their own hands.
Squatters could make life very difficult for landowners
In some towns, the squatters’ presence has stretched over weeks, leaving farmland unusable.
Such an incident occurred in Saint-Jean-de-Marsacq, in southwestern France, last month. During that incident, 250 caravans overtook private fields.
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The event pushed local mayors into action, with several officials issuing a rare joint statement vowing to “unite, to show solidarity and common desire to act against a resurgence of illegal installations in the region.”
The farmers involved in the Hautes-Vosges protest reportedly uploaded the video to a farming website to draw attention to their plight.
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Netizens have responded positively to the farmers’ initiative on social media.
“That’s not a few caravans, that’s a whole city. Good on the farmers for their smart thinking. I would do the same,” one commenter wrote.
“That’s the right way to deal with people that come onto your land,” another stated.
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“You know bloody minded as they can be, you have to admire the French. They take no nonsense and just sort out problems themselves,” another commenter noted.
Frustration is growing across Europe as squatters leave destruction behind
The tension isn’t unique to France. Across Europe, stories are surfacing of homeowners and farmers alike feeling helpless in the face of laws that seem unfavorable to property owners.
Last year in Tavistock, Devon, a British farmer sprayed slurry on a camper who refused to leave his field. “He never said a word. He couldn’t really argue with that. They come up from the towns and think they can do what they want,” farmer Jack Bellamy recalled.
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Even more devastating was the experience of Joanne Venet, a 61-year-old British woman who bought a €450,000 villa in Spain, according to the Daily Mail.
When her tenant stopped paying his monthly rent of €1,400, Venet faced a legal maze that made eviction incredibly difficult.
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She eventually had to pay £4,000 to a “de-squatter” service just to reclaim her house. At the time, the tenant owed her €5,600 worth of rent.
When the tenant finally left her property, Venet found trash, cocaine, and cannabis debris left behind in her once-pristine home.
Netizens shared their thoughts on the farmers’ anti-squatter efforts on social media
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