This footage was filmed and produced 26 February 2024.

In Brussels, tensions escalated on February 26 as farmers clashed with riot police amid a backdrop of paralyzed streets inundated by tractors. The upheaval unfolded as EU ministers convened to address the mounting discontent fueled by cumbersome regulations and bureaucratic hurdles plaguing farmers across the bloc.

Approximately 900 tractors converged on the city's European quarter, marking the second time in a month that the area ground to a standstill. Farmers vented their frustration by hurling eggs, igniting burning tires, and unleashing fireworks, prompting a robust response from law enforcement officers who deployed water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Against the backdrop of the protests, agriculture ministers from the 27-nation bloc convened in Brussels to deliberate on proposals aimed at streamlining the EU's contentious Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). However, for the demonstrators who descended upon Brussels from Spain, Portugal, Italy, and beyond, the measures proposed fell short of addressing their profound dissatisfaction.