Brussels: Free potatoes for Christmas – straight from the sidewalk

50 tonnes of waste cleared from Brussels streets after farmers’ Mercosur protest, ‘Belga News Agency’ reports. Thousands of farmers from across Europe began their march through Brussels afternoon to protest European agricultural policy.

More than 50 tonnes of waste had to be cleaned up after farmers’ protest in Brussels, which saw several hundred tractors gather in the streets of the capital.

Faced with the scale of the mess, the agency put in place special measures and monitored events from the regional crisis centre.

Operations focused on the routes taken by the tractors that converged on Place du Luxembourg, in particular the Petite Ceinture, Avenue de la Couronne and Avenue Paul Hymans.

Farmers’ protest in Brussels turns violent near European Parliament
Photo: ‘Belga News Agency’

Teams were faced with burnt bins and tyres and large quantities of potatoes, beetroot and wet straw on the road, making some roads particularly slippery.

Police made six administrative arrests and seven judicial arrests. Four officers were injured during the protest. “The material damage is enormous,” a spokesperson for Brussels Capital/Ixelles police said.

“A dozen gas masks and one helmet were destroyed, and dozens of uniforms, shields and helmets were defaced and soiled. A service vehicle was also damaged after being hit by a tractor.” The damage to the barriers used, which were hit by tractors, has yet to be assessed.

Thousands of farmers from across Europe began their march through Brussels afternoon to protest European agricultural policy.

The protest coincided with the first day of a two-day EU summit in Brussels. Farmers gathered in the capital to protest against the EU’s agriculture policy, and in particular the proposed free trade agreement with the South American Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. European farmers fear unfair competition if the agreement is signed.

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had been due to travel to Brazil this weekend to sign the deal, which has been some 25 years in the making and would be the EU's largest in terms of tariff cuts However, EU leaders agreed to postpone signing until January.

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