The thing which is most remarkable about the Brenner pass demo is that it's taking place at all. People who live in Austrian mountain villages aren't French farmers. They're not naturally given to demonstrate about things however much they grumble in the pub. For them to be not only exercising the right to demonstrate but doing so on an autobahn just goes to show how bad things have been allowed to get for so long.

And it's the only way to make sure that their message gets heard not only in Innsbruck and Vienna but in Munich, Berlin and Rome. While red-faced Bavarians get angry about being slightly inconvenienced then maybe they're also being reminded that the Brenner base tunnel has been under construction for 19 years and is due to open in 2032 but the Germans have not even started to build their connecting railway to link up with it and enable most of those truckloads to be moved onto rail instead. They have not even started.

2.5 million trucks a year - twice as many as in 2000. 50 million tons of freight, all being slowly ground up their valley by diesel trucks whose fumes in the high alpine air are giving people respiratory issues and subjecting them to constant low-frequency noises and vibration. The economic benefit to them? Pretty much zero. And people think they should just shut up and not complain?

#brenner