Farmers protest in Brussels over planned EU agriculture funding cuts

Thousands of farmers from across Europe began their march through Brussels on Thursday afternoon to protest European agricultural policy.

The march began around 12.30pm near Brussels’ North Station on Boulevard du Roi Albert II, where various delegations had addressed the crowd earlier in the day. The demonstrators moved along the small ring road before heading towards Rue de la Loi and Place du Luxembourg, in the heart of the European quarter.

Tensions rose sharply once the protest reached the European Parliament. Demonstrators initially threw potatoes and beets at police officers, who responded by deploying a water cannon.