Dressed in blue overalls and face coverings, hundreds of demonstrators blocked the railway in the port of Rotterdam on Saturday afternoon. According to the activists, the port is complicit “in the genocide in Gaza, the climate crisis and numerous other human rights violations.”
The demonstrators, on behalf of the action group Geef Tegengas, demand that the port immediately implement a “complete arms and trade embargo with Israel” and stop “the import of products and raw materials from areas where human rights are violated.”
According to the police more than three hundred activists were arrested. A number of demonstrators had attached themselves to the tracks. Destruction was also caused and an officer was injured.
‘Occupation is dangerous’
The demonstrators were all cleared from the tracks around 3 p.m. The activists chanted, among other things, “free, free Palestine” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” According to an ANP reporter, the slogans could even be heard from the arrest buses.
According to the police, the track occupation is dangerous because, among other things, trains are running with dangerous substances on board. According to a spokesperson for the port authority, the impact of the occupation was limited. Due to the actions, approximately forty freight trains could not run, a ProRail spokesperson told ANP.
The injured officer was punched in the face by an activist. The officer was then taken to hospital. An officer was also reportedly bitten and a third beaten. Both were able to continue their work.
Strike lashers
There was also a strike in the port of Rotterdam on Saturday by lashers, who ensure the safe loading and unloading of cargo ships. They stopped work last Wednesday. The lashers demand higher wages and better working conditions. The Port Authority filed summary proceedings against the FNV trade union, asking for the work stoppage to be terminated or limited.
The court in Rotterdam partially suspended the strike on Saturday evening. The strike may continue until seven o’clock on Monday morning. The lashers then have to go back to work to catch up on the backlog in the port. They may resume striking from seven o’clock on Friday morning. In the meantime, the parties must try to get closer to each other.
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