Farmers protests at EU HQ in Brussels: Police use water cannons
Photo: Brussels police dispersed farmers with water cannons (screenshot)
In Brussels, farmers protested near the headquarters of the European Union, where a meeting of agriculture ministers from all over the EU was held. The farmers were dispersed by the police, reports Reuters.
Farmers protested on Monday, February 26, against low supermarket prices and free trade agreements. They blocked the streets in Brussels with tractors and started burning tires and throwing eggs and bottles at the police.
Chaos Reigns in Belgium as Farmers Protest in Brussels Heats Up. https://t.co/5MGZlofj9p pic.twitter.com/pKRuX9u8VV
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In order to make the protesters leave, the police used water cannons.
It is worth noting that European farmers have been protesting for more than a week. They demand European politicians to solve the problems that, according to them, are facing the agricultural sector. We are talking about low prices in supermarkets and cheap imports that undermine local producers.
Belgian farmers blast through barricades, head to European Union HQ in major protest escalation in Brussels.#AgriculteursEnColere #agriculteurs #farmers #farmersprotest #Bauernprotest #FarmersAlliance #Farmers #Belgium #Brussel #Bruxelles pic.twitter.com/9vFRJRqSz4
— Attentive Media (@AttentiveCEE) February 26, 2024
Farmers protesting in EU
On Thursday, February 22, farmers from Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, and other EU countries staged protests along the Czech borders, blocking some checkpoints. They demand a reduction in bureaucracy and changes in the policy of the European Union.
One of the Slovak farmers said that the sector faces "hundreds of millions of problems" that harm its competitiveness, the biggest of which is bureaucracy.
Blockade of the border with Ukraine
As a reminder, Polish farmers have been blocking the border with Ukraine for several weeks. They do not allow trucks to pass, thus complicating Ukrainian exports.
Farmers are dissatisfied with the fact that Ukrainian grain transiting through Poland can allegedly remain in the country.
Recently, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal proposed a five-point plan to unblock the border.
You can find out more about the prime minister's proposal in the material of RBC-Ukraine.
