Greenpeace has responded in strong terms to mayor Dales van Velsen about the demonstration(s) around and on the Tata Steel site next weekend. Dales called out not to enter the company premises. “Take care of yourself and each other, keep it safe!” he wrote. Greenpeace thinks those words are misplaced.
A few hundred Greenpeace demonstrators are expected in Velsen and Wijk aan Zee this weekend. There is a demonstration at the North Pier with speakers and music and Greenpeace is organizing one still secret action for which an action camp will be set up on Friday afternoon.
Open letter
Perhaps activists want to enter or occupy the Tata Steel site. In an open letter today, Mayor Frank Dales warned against doing so.
Dale: “This is private property that you are not allowed to enter. The Tata Steel site is vast and dangerous in several places. With huge installations that cannot be turned off, hot substances, large vehicles including trains, and so on.”
Greenpeace sees this completely differently, according to a reaction today: “The mayor may also scratch his head about the safety of his own residents. Because it is precisely dangerous to live near Tata Steel because poisonous clouds emanate from it almost every day. the factory,” writes Faiza Oulahsen, head of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace Netherlands.
“Greenpeace has fifty years of experience with safe and peaceful campaigning. We are well prepared and are also having discussions with Tata Steel about this. We are going to demonstrate in the heart of the pollution, because we want the most sickening parts of Tata Steel to close.”