Old video from Belgium shared as the current French farmers’ protest

This an old video of farmers’ protest from Brussels in Belgium and it dates back to 2015.

France is the European Union's biggest agricultural producer and the farmers there are staging protests over excessive regulation on environmental protection and have raised concerns regarding the salaries being paid to them which aren't enough. Convoys of tractors have edged closer to Paris, Lyon and other locations in France as thousands of protesting farmers have appeared to ignore warnings of police intervention if they cross red lines lay down by the government.

In this scenario, a video of tractors pushing a law enforcement vehicle and tractors dispersing straw into the air is being widely shared on social media with the claim that French farmers using tractors against police during recent protests. The caption states, “French Farmers Tractor pushes armored vehicle out of the way then they spray fertilizer on Macron's thugs. Support your farmers”.

🟦 FARMERS CONTINUE TO RESIST

French Farmers 🇫🇷 🚜 Tractor pushes armored vehicle out of the way then they spray fertilizer on Macron's thugs.

Support your farmers 💪 pic.twitter.com/VhiowMJkGZ

— republic of Truth (@Muhamma67326818) January 28, 2024

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Fact Check-

We started our investigation by running a Google reverse image and keyword search, whose results led us to the official YouTube channel of an online newspaper based in Spain. An extended version of this viral video was uploaded there on 7 September, 2015. The video’s title suggested that this was a protest in Brussels, Belgium. The description states, “The protest concentration in Brussels has been resolved with the intervention of riot police and a "milk milk" war. Producers ask for an increase in the price of milk and aid for promotion”.

In further search, we found media reports about the 2015 farmers’ clash with police in Brussels during protests against falling dairy prices.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, thousands of farmers protested, demanding the European Union to counter slumping prices of milk and pork. As per the video report of Associated press, protesting farmers used a tractor to “spray straw at police during confrontations at a demonstration in Brussels to demand EU action to counter slumping prices.”

Taking account of these evidences we can understand that the video is unrelated to the current French farmers’ protest.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the video to be False. This an old video of farmers’ protest from Brussels in Belgium and it dates back to 2015. It has no link to the current protest.