© Domingos Oliveira / RTL
Nearly 400 green crosses topped with a red boot have sprung up across Luxembourg this weekend, but what do they really mean?
Luxembourg's young farmers and winemakers have joined together in protest against the Grand Duchy's agricultural policies, planting the green crosses adorned with red boots along the country's road sides.
Overnight, some 300-400 boots popped up across the country, followed by a protest on Friday morning outside the Ministry of Agriculture, as the young farmers voiced their displeasure at Claude Haagen's policies.
The protesters fear their potential extinction in light of increasing difficulties, and requested respect for their profession. The new law which seeks to introduce livestock quotas is a particular cause of their ire.
A key goal of the protest is to encourage an agricultural summit, attended by agriculture minister Haagen as well as prime minister Xavier Bettel. The young farmers expect a response from Haagen by 3 October, otherwise they plan to step up their protests.
The green cross topped with the red boot is a gimmick designed to spread the message on social media: "Without farmers, there is no food." One of the protesters explained they had selected the cross to represent the state of their profession, while the colours chosen also play a role: "the red boot leads us to disaster".
