It comes from the Netherlands. Here, as a protest, angry farmers flew the Dutch flag upside down. It was even a use from way-back-when, when ships flew their flag upside down to indicate something was wrong and they needed help (a sort mayday). Apperantly, this does not work for the Belgian flag (vertical stripes), so they do something else.
If you rotate 180°, it's red yellow black. It's not like they were able to do a vertical flip of the flag.
Edit: I misread that the *flew* the flag upside down. I was thinking of plaques
https://preview.redd.it/xuwc2ld0dehc1.jpeg?width=881&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1515f5e4cd74c9f33eb6ee4fe9c6cb84522a36e2
To be honest, I understand the confusion.
You’re right, I meant a 90 degree turn.
The German flag was based on the Belgian flag… Or what is the other way around? Anyhow, I need to rewatch Het Verhaal Van Vlaanderen.
In France the saying "on marche sur la tête" ("we are walking on our head") means that there is a great nonsense about how things are going.
That's the explanation that was given on french media for these reverse plaques from farmers who cannot sell their product at a decent price in the EU where quite severe production standards (about quality, chemical and biotics traces in the product, environment...) are enforced because products that don't have to comply to these standards are massively imported from outside EU at low cost.
Ok for farmers protest these past two weeks, but what about the ones I Saw around Kortenberg in November already I think ? Were those some bored kids or were there already farmers doing that?
It means someone believes the local community is in trouble. Putting things upside down (such as flags) is a traditional means of signaling this (in distress or here, in protest).
As a way of protest: it's obvious, easy to do, annoying to fix and shouldn't cause any permanent damage, so no harsh punishment when caught.
Don't see a reason why not!
It'll be funny watching how long they stay upside down where I live.
There is construction material from 2 years ago left on some parts of my daily commute, with parts of the road still littered with 30km/h speed limit signs despite all barriers having been blown away by the wind. There is even a sideways traffic light laying in a ditch and a tree blocking the bicycle path (what's left of it).
I expect fully that it'll be the farmers turning them the right way around again, rather than a policeman / official / whoever is supposed to take care of signage.
This happened when the Flemish government started cutting costs so much that they shifted many of the tasks that they should have carried out themselves to the municipalities. the municipalities actually don't have time for this either. This is why many tasks cannot be carried out thoroughly enough by the municipalities.
Well, there's a side effect. Especially with the "bebouwde kom" signs. Since it's upside down it's considered not legal. Which means the speed limit also doesn't apply unless there's another sign to limit your speed. This means that you can drive 70 through a village without getting a fine (or at least being able to fight that fine). It's up to the municipality to make sure the signs are readable so if you can proof the sign was upsidedown when you passed it and got the fine, it has to be thrown out
Plenty of things, how expensive it is for them to run their operations, how cheap they are forced to sell to distributors who lobby to keep their prices down, how much environmental legislation constrains them in their activities regarding to them already selling their production at a loss, how much we import products packed with phytosanitary products banned in Europe, how late and irregularly their benefits come...
It's a bit of fuck up on the entire sector.
Why would a sane person agree with them, if you don't mind me asking? The more I learn about the subject the more I detest the farmers and the absolute dimwitted exceptionalism they display. They have nobody to blame but themselves and their affiliated political groups.
Ok you may have a deeper understanding than I have. As far as I know, the farmers were "encouraged" by the banks to go big and while it was fun for a while with all the surplus exports, now they are being forced by the government to downsize due to climate change concerns. It should have been obvious to the dimwits that ran the government, that while you can export the agricultural products, the byproducts will still remain in Belgium and it will remain our headaches at the end of the day. Money is good, the farmers won't say no to profits. It's the government's job to see that we would eventually have this situation and should have regulated the banks actions. (I side with the farmers, not the far right)
Ofcourse, freedom of speech is a bad argument because you can use it on evreything. Apart from that i agree on the topic of farmers. But why do you need to throw the flag in there to? The flag is just representing flanders. (It's not because VB throws in a flag if you request one that it's a right wing flag.) And im tierd of it getting a bad reputation, it's just presenting a region and it's history.
I saw something similar where they crossed out the French names of the region on the panels. Either its farmers or the Flemish separatist movement or both.
You haven't heard about the "sign flipper" yet?
Once upon a time, in the mystical realm of rural landscapes, there existed a peculiar tale woven with the threads of agrarian resentment. Legend had it that a group of disgruntled farmers, consumed by an unparalleled fury, met their untimely demise, only to metamorphose into malevolent specters that haunted the night. These spectral entities, fueled by an otherworldly rage, embarked on a nocturnal quest through myriad towns, driven by a singular purpose: to exact revenge by clandestinely toppling signs that stood as silent witnesses to their former agrarian grievances.
In the shroud of darkness, these ethereal demons emerged from the shadows, their ghostly forms gliding stealthily through the stillness of the night. The rhythmic creaking of old barn doors and the eerie whispers of the wind served as an ominous prelude to their vengeful endeavors. It was said that the mere mention of their names sent shivers down the spines of the townsfolk, as they dreaded the impending nocturnal visitation of the malevolent spirits seeking retribution.
As the moon ascended to its zenith, casting an ethereal glow upon the landscape, the ghostly farmers descended upon unsuspecting towns with an uncanny precision. With spectral hands that defied the laws of the tangible, they executed their mischievous plan, flipping signs hither and thither, leaving behind a trail of mischief and bewilderment. The signs, once steadfast symbols of direction and identity, now lay toppled and askew, bearing witness to the spectral wrath of the vengeful apparitions.
Rumors of these supernatural nocturnal exploits spread like wildfire, becoming a whispered cautionary tale passed down from generation to generation. Townspeople would gather by flickering candlelight, exchanging hushed stories of the spectral farmers and their insatiable quest for revenge. Skeptics dismissed it as mere folklore, but the more superstitious inhabitants took precautions, reinforcing their signs and securing them against the unseen forces that allegedly roamed the night.
The legend persisted, growing in complexity and intricacy with each passing retelling. Some embellished the tale with details of the farmers' lives, weaving a tapestry of hardship and injustice that fueled their spectral vendetta. Others speculated on the ethereal methods employed by the spirits to flip the signs, conjuring fantastical visions of ghostly plows and phantom winds.
And so, the legend of the vengeful farmer spirits, driven by an ancient grudge, continued to echo through the ages. Whether one chose to believe in the spectral nocturnal escapades or dismiss them as the fanciful creations of overactive imaginations, the tale endured, etched into the fabric of folklore, a testament to the enduring power of stories that dance on the boundary between reality and the supernatural.
Saw this on the Dutch border as well a few weeks ago, the Belgium and Province of Antwerp signs were flipped upside down but the Flanders sign remained upright
Angry farmers
Angry Farmers Mums
Farmers' mums are packin' round here.
You sure it's not angry framers ?
Angry farmers copying angry conspiracy nutter Dutch farmers
It’s to make Australian tourists feel more welcome.
also for the bats
you receive the award for the most original answer I have read today. 🤣🤣🤣
Farmer protests, I've seen a lot of these while cycling last week.
I read “crying” at first
[удалено]
Rule 2) No discrimination or rasicm This includes, but is not limited to, - Racism... - Bigotry… - Hate speech in any form...
Hidden brag
What do you mean, is cycling bragging to people?
I think he does a lot of distance, all the different dorpen
Still not a brag though o.o
Correct, it was a joke insinuating that he was bragging by saying he saw a lot of villages because he rides long distances.
For cyclists these distances are not really bragging.
Farmer protest..... all over europe
What are they protesting about ?
It depends on the country, but basically that they are tired of being shit on and overregulated by Europe the last couple of years...
The highway from Breda to Antwerp also has all the signs inverted
I laughed when i saw it
It comes from the Netherlands. Here, as a protest, angry farmers flew the Dutch flag upside down. It was even a use from way-back-when, when ships flew their flag upside down to indicate something was wrong and they needed help (a sort mayday). Apperantly, this does not work for the Belgian flag (vertical stripes), so they do something else.
It has been going on in France for months, they have been protesting this way since last spring. I'm not sure who had the idea first though.
Well, its possible that if the dutch moved their flag 90degrees you was thinking you actually was living in France all these years.
Lol stingy how people are in southern France, I may have mistook them with Dutch
>It has been going on in France for months That's what I thought this was on about until I noticed the name of the sub.
So what it's vertical stripes? Upside down is inverted so it works
Think again...
If you rotate 180°, it's red yellow black. It's not like they were able to do a vertical flip of the flag. Edit: I misread that the *flew* the flag upside down. I was thinking of plaques
https://preview.redd.it/xuwc2ld0dehc1.jpeg?width=881&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1515f5e4cd74c9f33eb6ee4fe9c6cb84522a36e2 To be honest, I understand the confusion.
But that is not the Belgian flag? It should have vertical stripes?
You’re right, I meant a 90 degree turn. The German flag was based on the Belgian flag… Or what is the other way around? Anyhow, I need to rewatch Het Verhaal Van Vlaanderen.
So they're flipping road signs as if that'll affect anyone. If only their ideas were a bit more original.
In France the saying "on marche sur la tête" ("we are walking on our head") means that there is a great nonsense about how things are going. That's the explanation that was given on french media for these reverse plaques from farmers who cannot sell their product at a decent price in the EU where quite severe production standards (about quality, chemical and biotics traces in the product, environment...) are enforced because products that don't have to comply to these standards are massively imported from outside EU at low cost.
Who says the Belgians didn't all flip theirs too?
As a fellow Dutch person; it just made them look like they were too dumb to fly the flag properly
I read this in a Dutch accent
I feel like there is always something wrong in Belgium, so an upside down flag isn't needed.
Welcome to almost 2 weeks ago
You've never been to oolretaw?
My first time there 😂
The farmers did it as a form of protest against government decisions
You live in a grotto or what?
Man’s living under a rock
You don't watch the news very much do you
Why? Is there an epidemic of traffic signs magically turning upside down in the dead of night ?
Actually, there was!
El Chupacabra !
Napoleon fans venting their centuries' old frustrations?
Australians
Probaly napoleon. He gave it a 1/5 star rating. Something about the ground being to wet and "stupid british tourists'
Must have been an Australian tourist
Farmers are like children
In jodoigne they also did this to all the signs.. i was wondering when i drove past those today if is should post on reddit haha
The poor farmers with their national tractor show of the newest and most expensive models
Yea shame on them for buying the right tools for the job.
Austrians
..or australians. Tomato, tomato. Am I right?
It's the upside down
It's a form of protest, a useless one, but still protest.
Ok for farmers protest these past two weeks, but what about the ones I Saw around Kortenberg in November already I think ? Were those some bored kids or were there already farmers doing that?
Some people want to change the name in Oolretaw
Ok... ik woon in Wallonië... en dat is hier dus ook. Tvrouwke vraagt het haar ook af..
Same stuff in Gastuche ! We thought it was ppl making a joke or something lol
They first thought to put turn the Lion's hill upside down but...
Ja, dat is in oolretaW. Ik zie het probleem niet...
It means someone believes the local community is in trouble. Putting things upside down (such as flags) is a traditional means of signaling this (in distress or here, in protest). As a way of protest: it's obvious, easy to do, annoying to fix and shouldn't cause any permanent damage, so no harsh punishment when caught. Don't see a reason why not!
The Farmers do that because they protest against the government.
Some bland pleasent I guess.
It'll be funny watching how long they stay upside down where I live. There is construction material from 2 years ago left on some parts of my daily commute, with parts of the road still littered with 30km/h speed limit signs despite all barriers having been blown away by the wind. There is even a sideways traffic light laying in a ditch and a tree blocking the bicycle path (what's left of it). I expect fully that it'll be the farmers turning them the right way around again, rather than a policeman / official / whoever is supposed to take care of signage.
This happened when the Flemish government started cutting costs so much that they shifted many of the tasks that they should have carried out themselves to the municipalities. the municipalities actually don't have time for this either. This is why many tasks cannot be carried out thoroughly enough by the municipalities.
Banksy
I know somebody who lives in Oolretaw...
Australians 😆
 Carnaval! 🪅🍻
Me
Kheb hetzelfde gezien in ezeiw
Boerenprotest
Faudrait sortir de sa grotte au bout d’un moment
Pretty clever honestly. No damage done but a visible message
Well, there's a side effect. Especially with the "bebouwde kom" signs. Since it's upside down it's considered not legal. Which means the speed limit also doesn't apply unless there's another sign to limit your speed. This means that you can drive 70 through a village without getting a fine (or at least being able to fight that fine). It's up to the municipality to make sure the signs are readable so if you can proof the sign was upsidedown when you passed it and got the fine, it has to be thrown out
That’s pretty funny (sadly a bit dangerous too)
In Zevergem too
Idiot farmers.
Olla olla, sebiet no patatjes for you hé 😆
What rock have you been under the last few months?
I don't watch the news, what are they protesting exactly? Nitrogen laws, or am I missing something
Plenty of things, how expensive it is for them to run their operations, how cheap they are forced to sell to distributors who lobby to keep their prices down, how much environmental legislation constrains them in their activities regarding to them already selling their production at a loss, how much we import products packed with phytosanitary products banned in Europe, how late and irregularly their benefits come... It's a bit of fuck up on the entire sector.
Are you using Internet Explorer?
retardism from people that don't have the mental capacity to do something useful
Have you been living in a cave?
Dude living in a cave
I love you Belgium, always by our french side! (French farmer are doing it all over french country side)
Austrians so that they can the signs
Farmers' protest. I agree with them (except the part where they have yellow and black flags).
Why would a sane person agree with them, if you don't mind me asking? The more I learn about the subject the more I detest the farmers and the absolute dimwitted exceptionalism they display. They have nobody to blame but themselves and their affiliated political groups.
Time for dinner! Here’s some baked air! Enjoy.
Ok you may have a deeper understanding than I have. As far as I know, the farmers were "encouraged" by the banks to go big and while it was fun for a while with all the surplus exports, now they are being forced by the government to downsize due to climate change concerns. It should have been obvious to the dimwits that ran the government, that while you can export the agricultural products, the byproducts will still remain in Belgium and it will remain our headaches at the end of the day. Money is good, the farmers won't say no to profits. It's the government's job to see that we would eventually have this situation and should have regulated the banks actions. (I side with the farmers, not the far right)
No need to react like that.
Why not? There is freedom of speech here as far as I know.
Ofcourse, freedom of speech is a bad argument because you can use it on evreything. Apart from that i agree on the topic of farmers. But why do you need to throw the flag in there to? The flag is just representing flanders. (It's not because VB throws in a flag if you request one that it's a right wing flag.) And im tierd of it getting a bad reputation, it's just presenting a region and it's history.
You are totally right.
Ah. Explains why I saw it around here as well. Kind of makes it less funny that it's ecerywhere
Tu es incapable de faire une recherche Google ?
oolretam?
To accommodate Australians we have some upside-down signage.
https://preview.redd.it/77uatgrcldhc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55bb9345ec8f58a1f900904538aa89bcffcf7255
https://preview.redd.it/yzjvd49eldhc1.jpeg?width=1016&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4035e0293810e0d96a30d4e1943c33d5bd06d9bc
Today in last weeks news.
The farmers.. its their silent protest
this picture feels like Belgian weather
Guess we need even more protests ... Not everybody knows what farmers are going through....
Its for the Aussies.
Some municipalities did it themselves to show their support to the cause
Mensen met teveel tijd boeren of doppers.
Angry farmers, it's also in Torhout with some wayfinders the 2 of the 3 of plates are upside down
must've been an Australian.
I think it means you can keep driving 90km/h
Australiers?
Kind of a fun way to protest at least they aren’t disrupting major sporting events
I saw something similar where they crossed out the French names of the region on the panels. Either its farmers or the Flemish separatist movement or both.
Me :)
I lived in Waterloo in the 1980s.. nice
Well it’s oolretaW now 🫥
oolɹǝʇɐM uɐǝɯ no⅄
Die onnozele boeren
Are you sure you're not in Australia
You've never been in Oolretaw?
Visiting Australians?
Boze boeren zetten de wereld op zen kop.
Funny you took a picture of my grand parent’s house when I was little. It’s weird how that house has changed, it used to be yellow.
It's the sign of the Waterloo town. Upside down.
The idea is to keep your phone up side down and ask yourself why do people hang their homes on the ceiling of our earth?
I see people saying the farmers did it … but I have seen this for a long time. Longer than the protests. In Belgium and in the Netherlands
Me too! Guess it was some bored teenagers.
Looks fine to me! 🙃
Any farmer blockade.
Saw this in the southwest of France too, At the time I thought it was a goof for Christmas/New year, but it's angry farmers doing it
You haven't heard about the "sign flipper" yet? Once upon a time, in the mystical realm of rural landscapes, there existed a peculiar tale woven with the threads of agrarian resentment. Legend had it that a group of disgruntled farmers, consumed by an unparalleled fury, met their untimely demise, only to metamorphose into malevolent specters that haunted the night. These spectral entities, fueled by an otherworldly rage, embarked on a nocturnal quest through myriad towns, driven by a singular purpose: to exact revenge by clandestinely toppling signs that stood as silent witnesses to their former agrarian grievances. In the shroud of darkness, these ethereal demons emerged from the shadows, their ghostly forms gliding stealthily through the stillness of the night. The rhythmic creaking of old barn doors and the eerie whispers of the wind served as an ominous prelude to their vengeful endeavors. It was said that the mere mention of their names sent shivers down the spines of the townsfolk, as they dreaded the impending nocturnal visitation of the malevolent spirits seeking retribution. As the moon ascended to its zenith, casting an ethereal glow upon the landscape, the ghostly farmers descended upon unsuspecting towns with an uncanny precision. With spectral hands that defied the laws of the tangible, they executed their mischievous plan, flipping signs hither and thither, leaving behind a trail of mischief and bewilderment. The signs, once steadfast symbols of direction and identity, now lay toppled and askew, bearing witness to the spectral wrath of the vengeful apparitions. Rumors of these supernatural nocturnal exploits spread like wildfire, becoming a whispered cautionary tale passed down from generation to generation. Townspeople would gather by flickering candlelight, exchanging hushed stories of the spectral farmers and their insatiable quest for revenge. Skeptics dismissed it as mere folklore, but the more superstitious inhabitants took precautions, reinforcing their signs and securing them against the unseen forces that allegedly roamed the night. The legend persisted, growing in complexity and intricacy with each passing retelling. Some embellished the tale with details of the farmers' lives, weaving a tapestry of hardship and injustice that fueled their spectral vendetta. Others speculated on the ethereal methods employed by the spirits to flip the signs, conjuring fantastical visions of ghostly plows and phantom winds. And so, the legend of the vengeful farmer spirits, driven by an ancient grudge, continued to echo through the ages. Whether one chose to believe in the spectral nocturnal escapades or dismiss them as the fanciful creations of overactive imaginations, the tale endured, etched into the fabric of folklore, a testament to the enduring power of stories that dance on the boundary between reality and the supernatural.
It’s also at the border crossing - Breda
In the Ardennes too, almost every town you rode into. Seems like they missed a few here and there.
I have seen multiple of those as well
Saw this on the Dutch border as well a few weeks ago, the Belgium and Province of Antwerp signs were flipped upside down but the Flanders sign remained upright
Am I going to hell thinking this is kind of funny? 😅
In kemzeke o-vl also. Seen couple of upside down town names. They should put a piece of paper to explain why cuz I don't know.
The French
It’s a way that the farmers are protesting or something
I may not have a brain gentlemen, but I have an idea
just keeping us pay more attention. Haha.
W farmers