The activists were crazy and immediately celebrated it with a new demonstration at Schiphol Plaza. “We thought: this is the moment. We have to forge the iron when it is hot,” said spokesman Liesbeth Hondelink. The demonstrators wrote slogans with pink paint on the KLM cockpit at Schiphol Plaza. Three people were arrested.
Schiphol imposed the prohibition on 37 XR protesters who demonstrated on 8 March at the KLM Crown Lounge in the secure area of the airport, or tried that. The Friends of XR went to court to have the prohibition on lifted.
The preliminary relief judge ruled today that the long access bans were not justified. “It is good to see that our demonstration law weighs heavier than those vague arguments that our demonstrations would pose a risk to safety. Schiphol had maneuvered itself in a difficult position with the forbidden that were so absurd,” says Hondelink of Xr.
Frightening effect
According to the court, the prohibitions limit the exercise of the demonstration law and form a deterrent effect, the so -called chilling effect. Schiphol had also insufficiently demonstrated that there was a concrete safety risk. The prohibitions also have major personal consequences: the protesters cannot fly from the airport for five or ten years.
The judge points out that Schiphol performs an important public function. As the owner, the airport cannot just deny the public access and must take into account the importance of activists to exercise their rights.
The demonstration law also protects actions in which rules are consciously violated, as long as they are peacefully. According to the court, that was the case during the action of 8 March. Moreover, it is justified that demonstrations take place in the sight of the audience on which one focuses, such as the Lounge of KLM.
Schiphol announced ‘to consider how this ruling relates to our legal duties and responsibilities. We will carefully study that. Demonstrating at Schiphol is possible, but as far as we are concerned, only at the designated locations, where we safely facilitate actions, as we have done in the past ‘.
Mass promotion announced
The protesters today announced a new ‘mass action’ on October 24. “The largest so far,” said Hondelink of Xr. That action is again directed against the so-called Flying Blue program of KLM, which, according to them, rewards ‘non-durable flying’. The protest will take place again behind the security.