The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee is prepared for a possible large-scale action by farmers at Schiphol on Monday. If necessary, the military police will block the roads to Schiphol with armored tracked vehicles and shovels to prevent farmers on tractors from reaching the terminal. A special unit is then ready to make arrests.
Angry farmers would like to ‘flatten’ the whole of the Netherlands on Monday, for example by taking action at Schiphol, Rotterdam Airport, Eindhoven Airport and by blocking distribution centers for foodstuffs. With their actions, the farmers want to force the cabinet to reverse the nitrogen plans for the agricultural sector.
Several scripts are ready
If the farmers actually go to Schiphol on the tractor, the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee can deploy armored tracked vehicles and shovels to block the roads to the airport. The Marechaussee also keeps the National Assistance Organization (LBO) on hand, a service that is comparable to the ME of the police.
According to a spokesperson, the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, which is responsible for public order at and around Schiphol, has ‘several scripts ready’ if things go wrong on Monday. “Schiphol is crucial infrastructure that you cannot just shut down,” according to the municipality.
Advice for travelers
Schiphol itself is not yet ready to warn passengers traveling through the airport on Monday about possible farmers’ protests. According to a spokesperson, too little is known about the actions of the farmers.