Farmers clash with police near European parliament in Brussels

Tensions came to a head at Place du Luxembourg, close to the European Parliament, as several hundred demonstrators faced off with police securing the site. Police answered with tear gas and water cannons, as tractors moved through nearby streets and demonstrators set fire to makeshift coffins marked “agriculture”.

One demonstrator was briefly detained with a bloodied head and hands after clashes, though no serious injuries were reported. Police also said masked individuals, not linked to farming unions, were involved in acts of vandalism, including damage to street furniture and trees.

The protest focused on the EU’s planned trade deal with the Mercosur bloc, which farmers say would expose them to unfair competition and put further pressure on farm incomes, with some politicians warning of political fallout in rural areas. Negotiated over 25 years, the pact would gradually remove most trade duties and create a market of 780 million people, and EU leaders now face a choice to amend the pact or delay its signing.