Climate change activists blocked a major motor-way in The Hague in a protest against Dutch fossil fuel subsidies, the latest high-profile action by the Extinction Rebellion group that attracted several thousand demonstrators.
Police deployed water cannon against some of the activists, who have threatened a permanent blockade of the motorway, vowing to “stay or come back every day” until fossil fuel subsidies are dropped.
Many protesters had come equipped with um-brellas and donned bathing suits or waterproof coats in preparation for the police water cannons. Horns, whistles and police sirens could be heard around the city, as protesters paraded the streets in vehicles.
More than 10,000 people marched along the A12 highway into The Hague, ignoring warnings from authorities not to block the major traffic artery into the Dutch seat of government.
The police said in a statement they detained 2,400 protesters, including minors. There were no reports of injuries.
Extinction Rebellion, which organised the event, has said it will continue to hold protests until the government of the Netherlands stops using public funds to subsidise the oil and gas industry. “The seas are rising and so are we,” chanted the crowd, which included children and the elderly.
“A lot of money is being invested in the wrong place. Those using the most fossil fuels at the moment are the ones getting the most subsidies. This is slowing down the transition (to renewable energy),” Katrien Joosten, a 46-year-old architect said, as she marched with her 13-year-old son.
“I can just about accept the water cannon, but I think he’s too young to be arrested,” she added, as she pulled him back from the front-line.—AFP
