Joe Barnes
Thu, 1 February 2024
Belgian farmers mistakenly toppled a statue of a 19th-century British industrialist in a protest outside the European Parliament.
Early on Thursday morning, the militant farmers dragged down the monument in fury over European Union and national rules that they say threaten their livelihoods.
The men believed they had hauled a homage to one of the bloc’s founding fathers to the ground.
In fact, it was a tribute to John Cockerill, a Lancashire-born steel baron who helped revive Belgium’s ailing wool industry and transformed the country’s railways.
The statue, which features depictions of the industrialist and four of his workers, was constructed in 1871, almost 100 years before the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community.
Protesters left the statue in ruins - Yves Rouyet
The monument to John Cockerill was built in 1872 - Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images
Frustrated farmers lobbed eggs at riot police who set up barbed-wire fences to block their path.
“We’re here to make crepes,” one farmer from Belgium’s French-speaking Wallonia region, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Telegraph as he arrived at the scene with dozens of eggs.
“Or omelettes,” a colleague joked.
Black smoke from burning tyres rose into the air near the police cordon.
Hose-wielding police officers attempted to douse the flames of one fire, but gave up as it became clear the protesting farmers posed no danger.
Sound systems blaring out Belgian disco classics like Pump Up The Jam were frequently interrupted by exploding firecrackers and bleating tractor horns.
Farmers threw eggs at riot police who set up barbed-wire fences to block their path outside the European Parliament - DIRK WAEM/Belga/AFP via Getty Images
At one point, a group of a dozen pro-Palestine demonstrators attempted to jump on the bandwagon of the farmers, crashing their broadcast interviews.
It wasn’t long until the same militant farmers who toppled the statue turned them back by letting off homemade fireworks.
When a member of the anti-Israel group tried to give a speech through one of the loudspeakers, he was drowned out by a farmer turning up the volume of a Fleetwood Mac song blaring from his stereo.
For the most part, a festive mood prevailed as protesters handed out supplies of cheap Jupiler lager.
The Beer Factory, a pub once frequented by Nigel Farage’s MEPs of Ukip and the Brexit Party, was packed with farmers from Belgium’s Dutch-speaking Flanders region by 11am.
But the conversation often turned to the trouble faced by farmers across Europe.
They argue that the EU’s drive to become net zero by 2050 has put businesses at risk.
Mr Dickens has been ordered to shrink his herd of milk cows by some 45 per cent to fulfil new targets to lower nitrogen emissions.
And that is only a diktat from the regional Flanders authorities.
When asked what will happen when the European rules are further tightened, he responded: “I can hang myself up… then it’s finished for me.”
He and his wife, Isabel Proost, had hoped to pass their farm onto their daughter, extending a family tradition that started in 1952 when Mr Dickens’ grandfather first milked his own cow.
Other farmers were concerned about Mercosur, a trade pact between the EU and a bloc of South American countries.
A group of Left-wing farmers, mainly made up of travelling Spaniards, denounced the deal as opening the door to “global players” and shutting out family-run enterprises.
It is the same agreement, still being negotiated by the European Commission, that France has promised revolting farmers it will block in a bid to soften their protest movement.
Protesting farmers outside the Place du Luxembourg - Cyril Marcilhacy/Bloomberg
Other EU leaders acknowledged the growing threat that angry farmers pose ahead of this year’s Europe-wide elections.
Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, said: “We see you, we hear you. If you want your voice to be heard, make it heard also in June, when you vote for the European Parliament elections.”
“The concerns expressed by farmers are partly legitimate,” Alexander De Croo, the Belgian prime minister, said on arriving at the EU summit.
“They have already made a great deal of effort. We must ensure that they receive a fair price for the quality products they produce.”
But warm words weren’t enough to deter Mr Dickens, who opted to travel by train to Brussels because his tractor is set to take part in an attempt to blockade Belgium’s borders on Friday.
“We’re here to start a fire,” he proclaimed.
Mr Dickens has been ordered to shrink his herd of milk cows by some 45 per cent to fulfil new targets to lower nitrogen emissions.
And that is only a diktat from the regional Flanders authorities.
When asked what will happen when the European rules are further tightened, he responded: “I can hang myself up… then it’s finished for me.”
He and his wife, Isabel Proost, had hoped to pass their farm onto their daughter, extending a family tradition that started in 1952 when Mr Dickens’ grandfather first milked his own cow.
Other farmers were concerned about Mercosur, a trade pact between the EU and a bloc of South American countries.
A group of Left-wing farmers, mainly made up of travelling Spaniards, denounced the deal as opening the door to “global players” and shutting out family-run enterprises.
It is the same agreement, still being negotiated by the European Commission, that France has promised revolting farmers it will block in a bid to soften their protest movement.
Protesting farmers outside the Place du Luxembourg - Cyril Marcilhacy/Bloomberg
Other EU leaders acknowledged the growing threat that angry farmers pose ahead of this year’s Europe-wide elections.
Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, said: “We see you, we hear you. If you want your voice to be heard, make it heard also in June, when you vote for the European Parliament elections.”
“The concerns expressed by farmers are partly legitimate,” Alexander De Croo, the Belgian prime minister, said on arriving at the EU summit.
“They have already made a great deal of effort. We must ensure that they receive a fair price for the quality products they produce.”
But warm words weren’t enough to deter Mr Dickens, who opted to travel by train to Brussels because his tractor is set to take part in an attempt to blockade Belgium’s borders on Friday.
“We’re here to start a fire,” he proclaimed.
