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Chaos In Brussels As Thousands of Farmers Surround Parliament

It’s getting pretty wild in Brussels!

Police line one side of the barricade.

Farmers face them down on the other.

Trouble for the police is, there’s 1000’s of farmers.

And they have surrounded the entire European Parliament.

Even fireworks were launched at the building.

Looks like the setting for a final showdown.

Reuters reports:

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Farmers threw eggs and stones at the European Parliament on Thursday, starting fires near the building and setting off fireworks amid protests to press a summit of European Union leaders to do more to help them with taxes and rising costs.

Protesters tried to tear down the barriers erected in front of parliament – a few blocks from where the summit was taking place – but police pushed them back with water hoses. Police also fired teargas.

A local official said a statue on the square where farmers were gathered near the parliament with their tractors was damaged.

armers say they are not being paid enough, are choked by taxes and green rules and face unfair competition from abroad.

EU ELECTIONS

The protests across Europe come ahead of European Parliament elections in June in which the far right, for whom farmers represent a growing constituency, is seen making gains.

“You know what’s happening: European elections are coming and politicians are super nervous and also the European Commission. And I think that this is the best moment that together all the European farmers go to the street,” said Jose Maria Castilla, a farmer representing the Spanish farmers’ union Asaja.

MERCOSUR TRADE TALKS

While the farmers’ crisis is not officially on the agenda of the EU summit, it is bound to be discussed, at least on the margins.

Already, with all eyes on Viktor Orban as the other 26 EU leaders wants to convince him at the summit to join a plan to offer stable financing to Ukraine, the Hungarian Prime Minister made a point of meeting farmers overnight.

“We need to find new leaders who truly represent the interests of the people,” his spokesman quoted him as saying, referring to the European Parliament elections.

In a surprising twist, the police start handing out…free cookies to the protestors?

Looks like some Brussels police officers standing in solidarity with European farmers.

I wonder if any of the ingredients in that was literally grown by those in attendance?

Speaking of European food, even ALDI gets hit in the protest!

You can see the liquid manure being sprayed starting to flood in under the door.

That’s too bad. I always liked ALDI. They’ve got killer deals.

Here’s a clip from a week ago.

We need to see this in Washington!


 

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