At around 05:00 on Thursday, the NGO Greenpeace projected an image onto the façade of the Berlaymont building in Brussels, home to the European Commission, transforming it into a replica of the Trump Tower in New York.
Through this action, Greenpeace sought to denounce what it described as the European Union’s "complacent attitude towards Donald Trump”.
Around 15 activists were arrested shortly before 07:00 on the sidelines of another action planned for around 07:30, before being released by the police.
European leaders are meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday for a summit focusing on the escalation in the Middle East and the situation in Iran, and their impact on energy prices and energy security.
Other issues, such as strategic competitiveness, security and defence, and migration, are also on the agenda.
Through their projection, which bore the message “resist Trump’s agenda”, Greenpeace said they sought to highlight “the EU’s persistent dependence on the US for its oil and gas imports, the dismantling of European regulations on the environment, public health and privacy, as well as the lack of European resistance to violations of international law committed by the US”.
Nadia Cornejo, spokesperson for Greenpeace Belgium said: “The European Union must stand up to the chaos and cruelty Trump is sowing, and protect citizens rather than corporations and the ultra-rich. The US president is flouting international law, and instead of standing up to him, the EU is making us increasingly dependent on American oil and gas, just to stay in Trump’s and his billionaire friends' good graces."
Furthermore, Greenpeace criticised European officials’ desire to “simplify” the rules, seeing this as a risk of weakening environmental and privacy protections. The NGO also condemned pressure from the US and certain lobbies to relax these regulations.
Instead, it is calling for the acceleration of the transition to renewable energy and sustainable agriculture in order to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and strengthen resilience in the face of geopolitical crises.
Greenpeace had already staged a protest in the Schuman district of Brussels in January to highlight the EU’s dependence on US gas.
