The A12 in The Hague was the final goal, but most of the most demonstrators of XR

A man in a red costume blows on his saxophone, another man in a three -piece suit on a trumpet. Someone waves with a tambourine. They make cheerful music. But it is not that pleasant, at the Esso-tankstion on Zuid-Hollandlaan in The Hague, where around seventy protesters of Extinction Rebellion are on the ground on Wednesday afternoon. Between the gas pumps, surrounded by 25 police officers and five agents on horseback. During the NATO summit, although the demonstrators were not explicitly about that.

Among other things, they fight against the climate crisis and the subsidies for fossil fuels. The demonstrators shout sitting in the choir: “This is what democracy looks like”, “The People United Will Never Be Divided” and “Free the People of Palestine!” Some cover their face with a keffiyeh and hold flags. Others, mostly somewhat older people, cling to each other firmly. Someone eats a salad, a few blows hard on a piece of cake.

A large group of protesters stands out and is easy to stop, having small groups spread much more chance

Just before that, the group walked from Malieveld in The Hague to the connecting road that comes out on the A12. The highway was the final goal, but the action group did not come that far. A police officer still warned when the protesters went from the grass to the asphalt. “We’re going to arrest you, this is not allowed.”

But the rebels, as they call themselves, were not stopped. On half of the road they ran into a wall of agents of the mobile unit. First, the megaphone of a police car sounded that the demonstrators had to stop walking. But there was no response, to which various agents started running and hit their baton. Several activists were slightly injured. A woman fell and broke her arm, she was taken away by an ambulance a little later. Cycling rebels suddenly crossed. They were pushed or pulled by police officers.

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Zoom in

For a moment it was a chaos. Motorists had to put the brakes on the brake, bystanders remained surprised, journalists with notebooks and cameras shot on the street. Police officers rushed from all sides, on horseback, on foot, in vans, on the motorcycle. There was shouting everywhere. The police closed lanes. Eventually the agents managed to drive the activists to the gas station.

Five groups

A total of five groups of Extinction Rebellion were on the road on Wednesday to block the A12 in The Hague in various places around the Malieveld. A part succeeded on the Utrechtsebaan, Extinction Rebellions said police liaison Jan (who does not want to be in the newspaper with the surname because of his safety). Today he monitored contact between the protesters and the police. “To make the promotion as safe as possible.”

Extinction Rebellion does this more often, with several groups from different directions, Jan says. “A large group of demonstrators stands out and is easy to stop, small scattered groups are much more likely.” The intention was that the different groups would all arrive at the A12 at the same time. ” He calls the groups a fist together “all fingers.”

The activists could not form a joint fist today. In all places, the police eventually stopped the demonstrators. Everywhere they had to sit on the ground and wait for municipal buses with which they were taken away. Some people stepped in quietly, others refused. Agents dragged them off the road and were on the bus. A few protesters were previously taken from the group by so -called Romeos, police officers in civilian clothing.

According to Liaison Jan, all activists were taken to the ADO stadium and the police station and then released. “No one has been arrested for the time being.” A police spokesperson could not confirm that on Wednesday at the end of the day.

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