One of the statues surrounding John Cockerill’s monument in Place du Luxembourg in Brussels has been taken for repairs in Ghent, Ixelles Heritage Councillor Yves Rouyet said on Friday.
Protesting outside the European Parliament, angry farmers brought down one of the statues of the monument and thrown into a fire by farmers during one of the more heated moments of Thursday's protest.
Today, local authorities were on the scene to assess the extent of the damage and prepare for its removal for repairs. The statue has been sent to Ghent for restoration with the assistance of Brussels Mobility.
"It has a crack in its arm, leg and lower back; the worker's tool melted and the extreme heat removed the patina," Rouyet said on social media.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was also on the scene to inspect the damage to the statue. On Thursday, he also condemned the actions of protestors.
The toppled statue. Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem
"It is completely wrong that John Cockerill should be removed as a symbol of Belgian industry," De Croo said. "We need to get away from the clash between agriculture and industry. Farmers and entrepreneurs are not opposites."
Sculpted by Armand Cattier in 1872, the John Cockerill monument honours one of the pioneers of the steel industry in Belgium, symbolised by the four bronze statues of workers which surround the industrialist.
This week, farmers voiced their discontent about trade agreements between the European Union and other countries, high levels of bureaucracy, "unfathomable" European regulations, and the pricing of products for the agri-industry.
