The mobile unit was deployed during the farmers’ protests in Brussels on Thursday afternoon after demonstrators caused destruction in the city center. That Belgian media report. At Luxembourg Square, near the European Parliament, demonstrators set fire to a statue and bales of hay, now creating thick smoke. Protesters throw fireworks, eggs and beer bottles at the police, the AP reports. The police use water cannons to prevent further destruction.
Protests are taking place throughout Belgium, but the focus is in Brussels because EU leaders are meeting there today to discuss financial support for Ukraine. The farmers are protesting because they say their business operations are becoming increasingly difficult due to inflation, bureaucracy and cheap imports from outside Europe.
The European Commission announced plans on Wednesday to protect farmers against cheap grain imports from Ukraine, but that is not enough for the demonstrators. According to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, farmers’ concerns must also be addressed at the EU summit on Thursday.
The recent wave of farmer protests began in mid-January in Germany, where farmers opposed the abolition of a diesel subsidy. These protests spread to other European countries, where farmers are also angry because they find the regulatory burden from Brussels too high and because their financial situation is deteriorating. Earlier this week, French farmers set up blockades in Paris, and farmers also gathered in Zwolle to demonstrate.
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