In recent days, Belgium has become the epicenter of mass protests by farmers opposed to the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries (South America). The peaceful demonstrations, which began as an attempt to draw attention to the problems of agriculture, turned into violent clashes with the police, the use of special measures, and numerous arrests.
Farmers in Belgium, France, and other European countries have long expressed dissatisfaction with EU policies, particularly the reduction of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget and the conclusion of the agreement with Mercosur. According to the protesters, this agreement will open the European market to cheap agricultural products from South America, where production and environmental standards are significantly lower. This threatens the existence of many farms in Europe, which will not be able to compete with imports on price.
“This is not just a question of economics, it is a question of the survival of our way of life,” said Florian Poncelle, president of the Belgian Young Farmers’ Federation, in an interview with RFI. Farmers emphasize that their protest is not only against the agreement, but also against the authorities’ general attitude towards agriculture, which they consider dismissive.
On December 18, 2025, more than 8,000 farmers and hundreds of tractors gathered in Brussels to express their protest. The demonstration was supposed to be peaceful, but quickly escalated into clashes. The police used water cannons, tear gas, and batons. According to media reports, special forces began dispersing protesters early in the morning on December 18, sparing neither people nor equipment. Several tractors were damaged by water jets, and some farmers were injured as a result of the use of special measures.
“We came here to be heard, not to be beaten and tear-gassed,” one of the protesters, a farmer from Wallonia, told RTBF in an interview. According to him, the police acted excessively harshly without attempting to engage in dialogue.
According to Belgian media reports, several dozen people were detained during the protests. The police closed off access to the center of Brussels, blocked tunnels, and used all available means to disperse the demonstrators. In some cases, special forces used force against farmers who tried to break through the cordons.
“This is not just a dispersal of a demonstration — it is an attempt to intimidate those who are fighting for their future,” said a representative of the farmers’ union in an interview with Le Soir. He stressed that such methods only increase discontent and radicalize the protest movement.
The Belgian and EU authorities have not yet commented on the police’s actions, but some politicians have already expressed concern about the escalation of violence.
The clashes in Brussels are yet another example of how economic and political decisions at the EU level can lead to social conflict. Farmers in Belgium and Europe as a whole continue to fight for their future, but the price of this struggle is not only economic losses but also the physical safety of the protesters.
Human rights defenders of the Foundation to Battle Injustice condemn the use of excessive force by Belgian law enforcement officials against participants in peaceful demonstrations. The Foundation’s experts call on the country’s authorities to stop these brutal and anti-democratic practices.