More than seven hundred people were arrested at an Extinction Rebellion demonstration on the Utrechtsebaan, part of the A12, and at intersections in The Hague. They have been taken off the road. That reports the police Saturday evening. Twelve people have been arrested for criminal offenses such as sedition and assault. They are heard by the police.
The demonstrators “did not want to leave the road themselves,” the police wrote. Most of the arrested demonstrators were transported by buses to the outskirts of the city, close to the stadium of football club ADO Den Haag, the police confirmed after reporting from the ANP news agency. They will not be prosecuted, a spokesperson emphasizes.
Earlier in the day, a water cannon was used during the demonstration at, among other things, an intersection on the Haagse Koningskade, which runs along the Malieveld. Later this happened again on the A12. The police write that the mayor ordered the demonstration to end. One of the reasons was that the ambulance service routes had to be adjusted, resulting in longer arrival times.
Extinction Rebellion (XR) wrote on Saturday on X that “several ambulances have been allowed through, as we do as standard in our actions.” Before that expressed the organization expresses its dissatisfaction with the use of water cannons: “A reliable government does not use water cannon against concerned citizens on a winter day with 2 degrees.”