Hundreds of farmers descended upon Brussels on Monday, clashing with police, spraying officers with manure, and pelting EU buildings with eggs as they protested outside an agricultural summit being held in the city.
Chaotic scenes broke out in Brussels with farmers protesting the European Union’s green agenda and plans to ink a free trade deal with the South American ‘Mercosur’ bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, which farmers in Europe fear will serve to further undercut their prices and threaten their ability to stay in business. [emphasis, links added]
Situation explosive à #Bruxelles avec de gros incidents signalés dans plusieurs zones du quartier européen. #AgriculteursEnColere #agriculteurs #FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/jhuxorL82m
— Anonyme Citoyen (@AnonymeCitoyen) February 26, 2024
As hundreds of tractors amassed in the de-facto EU capital, including farmers from as far away as Italy and Spain, police in Brussels attempted to erect barricades to block the farmers from entering areas of the city center.
🇪🇺🇧🇪🚜‼️ The European Quarter in Brussels looks like a warzone. #AgriculteursEnColere #Bruxelles #FarmersProtest2024 #FarmerProtest2024 pic.twitter.com/alobvnfusK
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 26, 2024
Violent clashes ensued, with farmers using their tractors to bash through the barricades, throwing bottles and makeshift projectiles at officers while others sprayed police with manure, set tires and straw on fire, and covered the European Union’s Lex building with eggs.
Chaos à #Bruxelles. Le quartier européen est assiégé par des #agriculteurs alors que le Sommet des ministres de l'agriculture européens est en cours. #AgriculteursEnColere pic.twitter.com/3CtDJylDLP
— Anonyme Citoyen (@AnonymeCitoyen) February 26, 2024
In turn, the Brussels police deployed tear gas and water cannons against the protesters, Het Laatste Nieuws reports.
Les tensions se poursuivent entre #AgriculteursEnColere et policiers à #Bruxelles : des pneus sont incendiés face au canon à eau. pic.twitter.com/GcT4F0KWgg
— CLPRESS / Agence de presse (@CLPRESSFR) February 26, 2024
Commenting on the outbreak of violence, the spokesman for the Farmers’ Forum Tijs Boelens said: “The riots here today are the result of a European agricultural policy that always opts against economic security in our sector… If you sow misery, you will reap rage.”
“I am not in favor of the riots, there is a more friendly atmosphere here. But at the same time, it is the result of European mismanagement; farmers are always used as currency to secure economic deals for industry in Europe.
“With this, we do not create food security but rather are ensuring that our own farmers have to live in permanent economic stress. We are here today at the European Quarter because we want to make our point clear to European leaders: we must choose food security and food sovereignty. Neoliberalism’s time is up.”
The Flemish Boerenbond farmers’ union distanced themselves from the riots on Monday, saying that it is “not our way of campaigning.” …
The issues facing farmers in Europe such as the high cost of fuel, hefty taxes, excessive paperwork mandated by bureaucracies, the war in Ukraine, free trade orthodoxy, and environmentalist regulations are set to be key drivers in the upcoming European Parliament elections in June.
Alongside mass migration and the fledgling economies of Europe, the pushback against the green agenda is likely to benefit populist parties, who are already projected to make significant gains.
Here is where #farmers storm the EU area at Maalbeek near EU HQ. "It looks like civil war" say EU officials as tractors overwhelm police. #FarmerProtest2024 #FarmersProtest2024 pic.twitter.com/GbGPjhNuBg
— James Kanter (@jameskanter) February 26, 2024
The anger at globalist governance from farmers was also witnessed in France over the weekend, with enraged farmers breaching security to enter the Paris Agricultural Show on Sunday to confront French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of caring more for the people of Ukraine than his farmers.
Macron, in turn, attempted to blame the anger among the farmers on “political manipulation” from the so-called far-right of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN).
National Rally President Jordan Bardella, who attended the Agricultural Show on Monday, said: “The Macronists have pursued a policy of degrowth for seven years, submitting to the objectives of the Green Pact, which advocates a reduction in agricultural yields and the number of livestock. Those who defend French agricultural power are the RN.”
Read full post at Breitbart
Farmers have been seduced into a twisted relationship with their governments. Now they want a divorce from their tormentors. NeoLiberalism’s time is indeed up. If you want to know why food has gotten so expensive, compliance with bureaucracy isn’t cheap. We can grow an abundance of good food without Big Brother riding our backs.
Frankly its those annoying Just Stop Oil and others who mess up art waste food and block traffic who should be sprayed with Liquid Cow Poo until they need baths then let them clean themselves with Leaves