The climate action group Extinction Rebellion campaigned around noon on Sunday in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. A group of ten young people, according to them, between the ages of 15 and 22, sat down in front of the famous painting The Night Watch by Rembrandt and displayed a banner calling for action to be taken against climate change.
The parents and grandparents of the activists were also present at the protest. On Twitter the action group explained. “The message is clear, no art on a flooded planet; break ties with fossil companies such as KLM,” writes Extinction Rebellion. Major sponsors of the Rijksmuseum include companies such as KLM and ING.
A 19-year-old spokesperson addressed museum visitors, reports ANP news agency. “The science is clear, we can no longer escape it: the earth is warming, sea levels are rising and the weather is getting more and more extreme,” she said. “It is obvious that this is due to the fossil industry, an industry through which the Rijksmuseum is still sponsoring.”
After the activists were asked by employees to stop their protest, they left the museum. No damage was reported in the action. Extinction Rebellion wants to demonstrate again on March 11. The action group has announced that it wants to occupy the A12 in The Hague, just like on 28 January. Farmers’ organization Farmers Defense Force (FDF) then announced, in their own words completely coincidentally, that they would protest that day in The Hague.