More than 100 people have been arrested in recent weeks for violations and crimes related to the farmers’ protests, the police reported. These include highway blockades, arson attacks and waste dumping. The police also issued more than 700 fines.
The number of fines around highways has risen remarkably since June 22, the police report. Around that time, protests against the government’s nitrogen policy began.
In total, officers issued 700 traffic fines in recent weeks for violations that can be related to the farmers’ protests. For example, considerably more fines were issued for driving on the highway with slow motor vehicles (186 times) or standing still on the roadway (a total of 212 fines). “Writing fines is not an objective in itself,” says national commander Willem Woelders. “But this is certainly a significant number. And it concerns adult amounts.”
The registered arrests surrounding the farmer’s protests mostly concerned open violence against persons or property and disturbance of public order. Several suspects have also been arrested for attempted manslaughter or murder. Most suspects are under the age of 30. About a quarter of the hundred were arrested red-handed, so not on the spot and only later. Woelders: “The fact that suspects in connection with farmers’ protests are not immediately arrested does not mean that they will go free. When people cross borders, we act. We often find out who they are on the spot or afterwards, through classic investigative work.”
The number of fines for slow-moving motor vehicles on the highway has risen sharply in recent weeks: from seven times a week at the beginning of June, to 115 times in the seven action weeks, an average of sixteen per week.