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Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) blocked the A10 for the second time on Saturday. Hundreds of demonstrators have entered the highway near the old ING headquarters in Amsterdam, reports ANP news agency. They demand that ING immediately stop financing the fossil sector – not by 2040, as the bank announced in December.
An XR spokesperson says ING has shown no progress since the December 30 blockade. “That is why we are coming back today. We must act now, not sixteen years from now.”
Police arrested seventeen protesters who started the blockade and seized their cars. “Life-threatening for other road users and themselves,” it says message on X. “We cannot rule out multiple arrests.”
Just like last time, mayor Femke Halsema banned the demonstration. In a letter to XR, she writes that the blockade would pose safety risks and that it is too uncertain whether emergency services will still be able to pass. “We are completely within our rights,” the climate movement responds in a Telegram group. “The A10 has been closed to traffic at this location before, even for 8 days in August.”
“We always ensure that our demonstrations are safe,” the XR spokesperson added NRCbut she would not provide details about how the movement does this.
Fines
On Thursday, the Public Prosecution Service announced that six activists who blocked the A10 last time will be fined 200 euros. According to the justice department, they caused danger by standing on an eviction surface while traffic drove past. “We will certainly object to that,” the spokesperson said.
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