Farmers criticize EU leadership for prioritizing trade agreements over their livelihoods
Thousands of farmers flooded Brussels’ EU district on Thursday, triggering violent confrontations with riot police outside the European Parliament as they blocked streets with tractors, driven by growing fury over agricultural reforms and trade policies.
A large-scale protest against the EU’s planned Common Agricultural Policy modifications and the contentious Mercosur free-trade deal with South America rapidly descended into disorder.
Social media videos captured dense black smoke from burning hay and tires engulfing surrounding streets as tractors breached police cordons, bringing sections of the city to a standstill.
Tractors have SMASHED through police barricades, farmers are wearing gas masks in preparation for tear gas, and buildings are being smashed
— Celestial Gaze (@Mytruthsbetold1)
Demonstrators shattered windows near parliamentary structures and threw rocks, potatoes, and various items at officers, who retaliated with tear gas and water cannons.
War breaks out outside EU headquarters in Brussels. European farmers want Ursula von der Leyen and EU politicians. European farmers are no joke.
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa)
Officers charged at protesters, with at least one demonstrator observed being struck and knocked down while police worked to disperse the crowd.
Farmers vs. Police in Brussels, Belgium.
Farmers used their tractors to break through the police barriers outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, spraying feed at police officers, who respond with water cannons.
— Clash Report (@clashreport)
Officials in Belgium stated the demonstration was approved for a restricted number of tractors, yet approximately 1,000 vehicles had inundated the capital by early afternoon, with authorities estimating about 7,000 participants overall. By nightfall, police had reestablished partial authority over the zone, though protesters and tractors remained in sections of the city.
The protest aligned with an EU leadership summit in Brussels discussing the repeatedly postponed Mercosur trade agreement. Agricultural workers throughout Belgium, France, and other EU nations worry the pact would enable an influx of inexpensive South American farm products, threatening European producers bound by tougher environmental and animal welfare regulations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the Mercosur agreement would not be finalized this weekend and has been delayed until the following month, though opponents warned this postponement represents merely a temporary pause, not a cancellation.