At least 1,200 farmers carrying 500 tractors participated in a protest in the Belgian capital, Brussels, on Tuesday morning (4).
The demonstration was against the European Union's agricultural policy and was organized by the Dutch entity “Farmers' Defense Force” (Farmers Defense Force, in free translation).
The event comes two days before the start of the European Parliament elections – scheduled to take place between June 6 and 9 – and carried the following disavowal message: “No to Ursula von der Leyen and no to the Green Deal.” Ursula is the current President of the European Commission.
However, according to Brussels Police, participation was far below the 5,000 vehicles expected by the association. No clashes were recorded between demonstrators and security forces.
Protest against environmental agreements
In the demonstration, hundreds of Dutch tractors crossed the Belgian border in a procession more than eight kilometers long, decorated with national flags and banners violating the environmental agreements on the European Union’s agenda.
At the time, Italian producers Salvatore Weiss and Guido Marini criticized the bloc for accusing farmers of “polluting the land, sky and cities,” forcing production cuts, unfair competition, and forced integration into Europe.
Weiss concluded his speech with a call for unity: “European farmers, only together can we change our destiny, united we will win.”
The appearance was rejected
Despite this, the main agricultural groups on the continent rejected the protest, saying that the demonstration did not reflect the concerns of their members.
Tuesday's event is the latest movement in a months-long wave of farmer protests across Europe. there, Agricultural workers They denounce low food prices, excessive regulations and free trade agreements that they say leave them struggling to compete with cheap imports.
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