Brief clashes erupted between farmers protesting in front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg and the police. The security forces used water cannons and tear gas to restore order in the area.
Despite the incidents, the situation in the area is relatively calm, although in the late afternoon the main entrance to the European Parliament for visitors had to be closed.
The protesters warmed themselves by fires that they lit with pallets delivered by tractors in the morning. They had also organized an improvised buffet with stoves.
Among the slogans seen at the protest were “Mercosur is a threat to our livelihood“, “No to the Green Deal”, “Drill, baby, drill” (a reference to the slogan of the Republicans in the US, also used by President Donald Trump, in support of oil and gas drilling), offensive posters against the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, etc.
The protests are attended by farmers from both France and other European countries, including Bulgaria. As Iliya Prodanov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Grain Producers (NAG), previously reported to BTA, about 40 Bulgarian farmers are participating in the protest in Strasbourg.
The farmers' protest in front of the European Parliament is mainly directed against the free trade agreement between the European Union and the South American trade bloc Mercosur, which was signed on Saturday in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion. It creates the largest free trade area in the world.
However, the agreement was opposed by Poland, France, Austria, Ireland, and Hungary, and Belgium abstained in the vote in the EU Council. The main reason for their objections is the fear that the agreement could lead to increased competition in the import of agricultural goods from South America and affect the interests of European producers.