This Video Does Not Show Dutch Farmers Protesting Recently
The Claim
The video features Dutch farmers protesting and spraying government buildings with manure after the authorities forced the seizure of private land.
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Social media users have circulated a video claiming it shows Dutch farmers protesting and spraying government buildings with manure after the authorities seized a private land.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The video is outdated and was not shot in the Netherlands.
Video of Farmers Protesting is From Belgium
Misbar’s team found that the video is not recent and was shot in 2015 during a Belgian farmers' protest over low milk prices in Brussels.
We compared the circulating video with an old video documenting the Belgian farmers’ protest in 2015 and found that the two videos were shot during the same demonstration.
Visual elements, including yellow flags, fire, and the European commission’s building, made it easier to confirm the videos were filmed in 2015 and featured the same protest.
According to the Associated Press, the protesting farmers used a tractor to spray straw at the police during confrontations at a demonstration in Brussels on September 7, 2015, calling for the European Union to counter the slumping prices.
The European agriculture ministers have agreed to a €500m aid package at an emergency meeting in Brussels as police outside clashed with farmers protesting against the falling prices, the Guardian reported on September 7, 2015.
According to the outlet, this agreement came after a day of protests, which police said involved 4,800 farmers and 1,450 tractors.
The authorities reported that the tractors blocked the streets. Meanwhile, some protesters pelted the police with eggs and sprayed milk and hay at them.
During the protests, water cannons were used, and at least one police officer was injured.
The Dutch Provincial Elections
The claim began to circulate as the powerhouse of Dutch right-wing populism took the political center stage after winning its first provincial elections.
Upside-down Dutch flags flanking the roadside have reportedly become a feature of driving through the Netherlands' lush, low-lying fields in recent months.
These flags were seen as a sign of the Dutch farmers' resistance to the government's proposal of slashing nitrogen emissions by 50 % nationwide by 2030 and the attendant impact on their livelihoods.
The Dutch ministers called this proposal an “unavoidable transition” that aims to improve the air, land, and water quality. However, the ministers also warned this new proposal could mean some farmers being forced out of business.
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