Protesters accuse EU leaders of sacrificing their livelihoods to push trade deals
Violent clashes erupted in Brussels on Thursday as thousands of farmers descended on the EU quarter, blocking roads with tractors and confronting riot police outside the European Parliament amid mounting anger over trade policy and farming reforms.
What began as a mass demonstration against proposed changes to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and a controversial free-trade agreement with the South American Mercosur bloc quickly spiraled into chaos.
Footage circulating on social media showed thick black smoke from burning tires and hay filling nearby streets as tractors pushed through police barriers, grinding parts of the city to a halt.
Tractors have SMASHED through police barricades, farmers are wearing gas masks in preparation for tear gas, and buildings are being smashed pic.twitter.com/pOTPizTuU0
— Celestial Gaze (@Mytruthsbetold1) December 18, 2025
Protesters smashed windows near parliament buildings and hurled rocks, potatoes, and other objects at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.
War breaks out outside EU headquarters in Brussels. European farmers want Ursula von der Leyen and EU politicians. European farmers are no joke. pic.twitter.com/M6alrrnLLn
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) December 18, 2025
Police charged demonstrators, and at least one protester was seen being knocked to the ground and beaten as officers attempted to clear the area.
Farmers vs. Police in Brussels, Belgium.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) February 26, 2024
Farmers used their tractors to break through the police barriers outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, spraying feed at police officers, who respond with water cannons. pic.twitter.com/uskh5UW2fJ
Belgian authorities said the protest had been authorized for a limited number of tractors, but by early afternoon around 1,000 vehicles had flooded the capital, with police estimating roughly 7,000 protesters in total. By evening, police had regained partial control of the area, though tractors and demonstrators continued to occupy parts of the city.
The demonstration coincided with an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, where the long-delayed Mercosur trade deal was again under discussion. Farmers across Belgium, France, and other EU states fear the agreement would open the door to cheaper agricultural imports from South America, undercutting European producers who must comply with stricter environmental and animal welfare standards.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Mercosur pact would not be signed this weekend and had been postponed until next month, though critics of the deal cautioned the delay amounted to only a temporary reprieve rather than a reversal.
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