A striking one hundred percent score for the new Hilversum climate mayor Trees Lammers. She has just started working for two days, but in that time she was also arrested twice during a climate demonstration. Yesterday she was handcuffed when she wanted to block a coal train in the middle of the track in the Amsterdam port area. Today she was arrested during a protest in front of the ING headquarters.
Her ‘office’ as climate mayor is a serious title of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. The idea behind it is that these ‘climate advocates’ draw local attention to the climate.
Naked on a railway
But the ‘ministerial title’ does not prevent Trees from demonstrating vigorously against the established order. Yesterday morning she was with a group of demonstrators in the Amsterdam Westelijk Havengebied. There she sat naked on a railroad track to prevent a coal train from moving. She was eventually stopped by the police on the track for this blocking action.
Yesterday afternoon she was released, but today she immediately returned to action. This time at ING’s head office on Bijlmerdreef in Amsterdam. There she and a group of about fifteen protesters in the lobby of the bank blocked a number of revolving doors, tied them together and imitated a ‘crime scene’. This action also ended for Trees in a detainee van: she was arrested along with nine others.
View images of today’s arrests here. Text continues below the video.
Climate mayor Trees Lammers arrested two days in a row – NH Nieuws
Protesting more often
It is clear that Trees is not averse to a demonstration. She has been arrested several times before and this week will most likely not be her last. Trees will soon appear in court for plastering the Rabobank head office in Utrecht.
Because of the two quick arrests, Trees has not yet been able to respond. A spokesperson for Kppen met Kolen – the organization for which Trees regularly demonstrates – does say that the demonstrations of yesterday and today will certainly not be the last. For example, demonstrations will take place again on Saturday: then ‘the hit of the week’ will be on the agenda for the organization and demonstrations will take place at Schiphol.