Far-right Leverages Farmer Protests for Political Gain, Says Watchdog

Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Far-right parties exploit farmer protests but lack solutions, says Corporate Europe Observatory. CEO criticizes far-right influence in recent Brussels protests, warning of their destructive policies and failure to serve farmers or the environment.

Far-right parties are attempting to “cash in on farmers’ anger” at protests but are proposing “no solutions”, according to the campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO). Approximately 500 tractors and 1,200 individuals took part in a protest in Brussels the latest in a series of protests held by European farmers campaigning for modifications to agricultural and environmental policies.

Are Far-right Parties Exploiting Agricultural Angst?

Many European farming associations alienated themselves from this week’s protest, as it was attended by more hard-line farming societies and groups affiliated with the far-right.

Groups in attendance included the Farmers Defence Force, which honoured Geert Wilders’ (PVV/ID) government deal in the Netherlands, France’s Coordination Rurale, which is closely related to the National Rally (ID), and Spain’s Plataforma 6F, which has close links to Vox (ECR). In a statement linking to the protest, the CEO commented that the speakers list for the occasion was also “dominated by the far-right”.

The line-up contained politicians from the Polish Law and Justice (PiS) and Confederation (Konfederacji) parties, Belgium’s Vlaams Belang, and the Dutch Forum for Democracy.

CEO is a non-profit association that monitors lobbying and leverage in EU policymaking, also noted that the demonstration was promoted by MCC Brussels, a think tank linked to right-wing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Órban. The campaign group condemned current EU agricultural and environmental policy and the “neoliberal agenda” of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), but stated that far-right parties will not offer anything distinct.

Are Far-right Ideologies Misleading Farmers about EU Policies?

Nina Holland, researcher and campaigner at CEO, stated that while the speakers’ list was “dominated by far-right or ultra-nationalist parties”, in countries where the far-right is already in power such as Hungary or Italy, “they are failing farmers with the same destructive policies that serve neither farmers nor the environment”.

Do Far-right Groups Offer Real Solutions for Farmers?

CEO stated that while both EPP and far-right parties are wooing the rural vote in this weekend’s elections, “neither will really defend the livelihoods and wellbeing of most farmers”. João Camargo, campaigner and researcher at CEO cautioned that the situation leading to farmer protests has not passed, and “will worsen in the upcoming years. “The highly intensive agricultural model is simply impossible to maintain. The social and environmental crisis we are currently in will demand a true response,” he said.

Is the European Greens’ Critique of Farmer Protests Justified?

Separately, the European Greens also came out this week to denounce what they called a “mainly far-right event… trying to mask itself as a ‘farmers’ protest'”. European Green Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) Bas Eickhout stated that the far-right has been “feeding farmers with the falsehood that Europe, and the Green Deal, are to condemn for their hardship”, and that a “small component of the farmers have adopted those lies and sided with the far-right”.

“We are willing to work with all the agriculturalists who are operating within the framework of democracy. We are here to offer genuine solutions, like changing the fact that 80% of Europe’s subsidies currently go to the 20% richest farms,” he stated, adding that his party is available to dialogue with mainstream farmers’ associations but not with far-right activists who were in Brussels.