Hundreds of people were arrested at the climate demonstration by activist group Extinction Rebellion on the A12 in The Hague, the police reported. Police have not yet released an exact number. The A12 is now empty again, but not yet released. The fire brigade is working to bring down an activist who had climbed a pole next to the road.
Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion walked onto the A12 in The Hague around noon on Saturday to take action there. They walked on the highway and set up blockades, despite previous warnings from the police. Just before an hour the police started removing the blockade, hundreds of activists were lifted one by one by the police and put in a detention van. The road surface of the A12 is now empty again, although there are still a few activists in high poles above the road.
The spokesman for mayor Jan van Zanen already announced in the morning that fences are ready in case demonstrators do enter the Utrechtsebaan. In the end, officers had to close the road. But despite the closure, the police decided to act, because it is forbidden to stand on the A12, she says.
Traffic was diverted, police said. Demonstrators were called by the police present to go to the Malieveld, but they did not respond. She also spoke to people on the road and was warned that they would be arrested if they did not leave.
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Glue and Coke
The police came into action around an hour and the first demonstrators were taken away and arrested. Since some of the demonstrators do not voluntarily go along, it takes a while before the road surface is clear again. Both the activists and the police wear hearing protection against the sound of the grinder. Tool boxes containing hammers are deployed, and the police try to separate glued demonstrators with the help of cola.
Activists glued themselves together via a tube, among other things. Detainee buses drive back and forth, according to Extinction Rebellion, the detainees are collected in a nearby gymnasium. The police have arrested hundreds of activists. The fire brigade is present to get the last activists, who climbed high poles, down safely.
The climate activists had set up a blockade using pipes and hooking up with each other. Some have also glued themselves to the road surface. During the protest, others waved flags and many banners were displayed. Two activists had also climbed a pole and slogans were chanted. There were many spectators along the sides of the road and above the tunnel, cheering on the people on the road. Music was playing and there was a lot of smoke. Some demonstrators had brought a small tractor, as a nod to the farmers’ protests.
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Ban
The climate action group previously expected that a thousand people would participate in yet another protest on the road. The announced protest caused a lot of commotion this week after seven supporters were arrested on Thursday for their call to demonstrate. According to the Public Prosecution Service, this had nothing to do with the violation of the right to demonstrate, but the activists, including Jelle de Graaf, who previously glued herself to Beau’s talk show table, were arrested because she was guilty of sedition. They have been released but were banned from entering the Utrechtsebaan today.
It is not clear whether all seven intend to comply. One of the seven climate activists, Lucas Winnips, said in Op1 on Friday evening that he would consider going to the demonstration, despite an area ban. Around half past two, Extinction Rebellion reported that he had been arrested by the police. Singer Merol, writer Maartje Wortel and actress Georgina Verbaan are also present at the action in The Hague.
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No agreement
The mayor of The Hague Jan van Zanen had previously made it clear in a statement why he had not agreed to demonstrate on the Utrechtsebaan. He stated that demonstrating in the city of The Hague is always possible. “Demonstrating is a good right and we are always happy to facilitate that. We are the demonstration capital of the Netherlands and receive about 2000 demonstrations every year.
But the form that has apparently been chosen for this protest is of serious concern to us as the police and the Public Prosecution Service,” he said. “A blockade of the A12 crosses the boundaries of the right to demonstrate. Participants run the risk of committing serious criminal offenses.” The mayor also indicated that there is no clearly approachable organizer of the action and that people are in no way prepared to choose a form of demonstration that is safe.
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The inhabitants are also fed up with the blockades in the city, it would be the fifth time in a short time today. The anger is widely vented on social media. It was also disgraceful that the climate activists are walking around with torches and have previously smeared the recently refurbished concrete containers of the Utrechtsebaan with environmentally polluting spray cans. The fact that huge traffic jams can form around the city is also not really friendly to the environment.
Environment
With this campaign, Extinction Rebellion wants to draw attention to that environment. Last week, their supporters were offered courses to learn not to be dragged away too easily by the police. It was expected that the blockade, which was announced around noon, would soon be lifted. Nevertheless, it still takes quite a long time before all demonstrators have been removed from the road surface.
Out of anger about the arrests, the directors of about forty social organizations attended a support campaign. It was to be kept on a viaduct above the A12. Greenpeace, FNV, Urgenda, the Aidsfonds, Cordaid, the COC, the Fietsersbond, the Humanistische Verbond, Milieudefensie and the Refugee Foundation, among others, had announced that they would participate in that protest. Amnesty also sent so-called observers to the protest, as can be seen on images on social media.