The Brussels regional cleansing agency Net Brussel says that more than 50 tonnes of waste had to be cleaned up after Thursday’s farmers’ protest in Brussels. Net Brussel staff worked until 11pm on Thursday evening to clean up all the rubbish left behind, a spokesperson told the press agency Belga.
More than 50 tonnes of waste cleared in the aftermath of Thursday’s farmers’ protest
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Given the scale of the mess, Net Brussel put in place special measures and monitored the clean-up operation from the regional crisis centre. The clean-up operations got under way on Thursday afternoon and continued as protesters gradually dispersed.
It focused on the routes taken by the tractors that converged on the Luxemburgplein, in front of the European Parliament. The Brussels Inner Ring Road, the Kroonlaan in Elsene and the Paul Hymanslaan in Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe received particular attention.
Cleansing teams cleared, burnt dustbins and tyres as well as large quantities of potatoes, beetroot and wet straw on the road from the roads.
Police took 6 protesters into preventative custody and arrested 7 more on suspicion of criminal acts. 4 police officers were injured during Thursday’s protest.
A spokesperson for the Brussels-Capital/Elsene Local Police Service told journalists that “The material damage is enormous”.
“A dozen gas masks and one helmet were destroyed, and dozens of uniforms, shields and helmets were defaced and soiled. A police vehicle was also damaged after being hit by a tractor.”
Other damage includes broken or removed traffic signs, broken windows and road surfaces damaged by fires.
Signing trade deal postponed
The protest coincided with the first day of a two-day EU summit in Brussels. Farmers gathered in our capital city to protest against EU’s agriculture policy, in particular the proposed free trade agreement with the South American Mercosur trading bloc. European farmers fear unfair competition if the agreement is signed.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had been due to travel to Brazil this weekend to sign the deal with Mercosur. The free trade agreement has been 25 years in the making.
However, on Thursday EU leaders agreed to postpone the signing of the agreement until next month, following a request for a postponement from both France and Italy. Following the summit, French president Emmanuel Macron said it was too early to say whether his country would be able to approve the agreement in January.