It is not every day that the workers of the European Parliament in Brussels see through the windows of the offices of the Union Buildings burning tires, angry protesters and police spraying tear gas to keep the protesters away.
Farmers throw eggs at the European Parliament
Reuters
These are the dramas we discovered today when hundreds of farmers from several European countries blocked the center of the Belgian capital and the capital of the Union with 1,300 tractors and trucks.
The reason: a protest against the luxury of living, the high taxes, and the competition with cheap agricultural goods coming from countries like Ukraine.
A statue that was toppled and set on fire in the center of Brussels, photo: IPA
The angry farmers threw eggs at the European Parliament building and carried placards like "without agriculture there is no food".
The demonstration in front of the European Union buildings came against the background of a meeting of the customs of the Union that is taking place today in Brussels.
Tractors parked near the parliament building in Brussels, today (Thursday), photo: AFP
"There are elections for the European Parliament and there are elections in Belgium, so the legislators will fear that we will kick them out and bring in other people," farmer Dominique Holpen (51) explained to IFP the timing of the demonstration.
"We are taking advantage of the opportunity."
Police officers stand at a checkpoint in front of the tractors south of Paris, photo: AFP
But the demonstration in Brussels was not unusual.
Farmers' protest has been going on for several weeks and with a higher intensity in France.
Last month, thousands of farmers went to the country's cities and roads and, using thousands of tractors and agricultural vehicles, blocked seven of the most important transportation arteries, including some of the roads leading to and from the capital, in what has already been called the "siege of Paris" in the media.
In France, too, the farmers are angry with the government due to the intention to reduce the government subsidy on diesel, the low wages, and the onerous regulation by the European Union regarding the issue of environmental quality and more.
A driver of one of the trucks stuck in Perpignan, on the way from France to Spain, looks at the brains, photo: AFP
A similar story is happening in Germany, where the complaints are similar - and so are the means of protest.
Other farmers' protests are also taking place in the centers of major cities in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy and other countries.
Farmers' checkpoint in Carbon, southern France, last weekend, photo: Reuters
In some places a political layer was added.
Thus, for example, in Germany and France the farmers receive support from the right wing which is in the opposition and attacks the current governments and the European Union.
"When we see how many people are here today, and realize that these demonstrations are happening all over Europe, we are filled with hope," says Kevin Bertens, a farmer who lives near Brussels, "We hope that the people in the government and in the European Union will understand that agriculture is necessary. After all, we are talking about a basic product, about food".
The heavy pressure from the farmers manages to produce limited successes when in some countries and also in the European Union it was decided to cancel some of the decrees towards the farmers and create mechanisms to support the farmers.
At the same time, it seems that the farmers' protests created a momentum of workers' protests in other areas as well.
In Germany, many workers' organizations went on strike last month, including local and intercity train workers, medical teams, and even the airport screening security teams who went on strike today at some airports in Germany.
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