Farmers return to blockade the European Quarter in Brussels. After the double siege carried out at the beginning and end of February to contest EU policies, around a hundred tractors gathered this morning near the headquarters of the main EU institutions. TOSome fires were set on Place du Luxembourg, in front of the European Parliament buildings, which had already been stormed on 1 February.
The tractor protest then gained intensity in the neighborhood of the EU institutions in Brussels where firecrackers were thrown near the headquarters of the European Commission and the EU Council, where the European Agriculture Ministers are meeting. Some fires were set by burning tires and bales of hay even in front of the department responsible for disbursing the funds of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Police in riot gear set off water cannons against protesting tractors in the EU neighborhood in Brussels. The throwing of firecrackers by farmers has continued increasingly intense for over an hour. Around 250 tractors are blocking the main streets of the EU institutions district in Brussels. This was reported by the police present on site in riot gear. Tension between protesters and law enforcement is high. After activating water cannons, the police used tear gas to keep down the increasingly violent action. For a few minutes the farmers have been using firecrackers to explode several bales of hay. A fire was set near the entrance to the Maelbeek metro station, behind the European Council.