Hundreds of climate protesters blocked a distribution center for Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and an airport for private jets in Belgium on Saturday, the environmentalist movement Code Red announced.
According to Code Red, which fights against fossil fuels and advocates civil disobedience, hundreds of demonstrators were arrested by police during this action aimed at disrupting the aviation and e-commerce sector.
The plane as a target
“The Code Red movement is organizing its third mass civil disobedience action in our country. This time it is the aviation sector which is targeted. The action takes place in two places,” the movement said in a statement.
“In Liège, 600 activists block (the traffic of the Chinese online commerce platform) Alibaba. In Antwerp, with around forty activists still there, private jet traffic is paralyzed despite the arrest of more than 700 activists,” adds the text.
“Through these actions, Code Red demands, among other things, an end to subsidies granted to the aviation sector, a ban on private jets and affordable public transport,” he continues.
Poor quality products and sleep
“Liège airport is the fastest growing airport in Europe” according to Louis Droussin, of Code Rouge, quoted in the press release. “Millions of euros of public money support this expansion, which comes at the expense of hundreds of hectares of agricultural land.”
“In Alibaba’s case, more trucks and planes full of low-quality goods are causing more sleepless nights for residents. It’s just unfair.”
An AFP journalist at Antwerp airport saw police use tear gas and arrest demonstrators dressed in white overalls as they tried to enter its compound.
The Chinese giant Alibaba opened its 30,000 square meter European distribution center in Liège in 2021.