In The Hague, climate activists have once again shut down a highway – for the eighth day in a row. They called on the Dutch state to abolish environmentally harmful subsidies. The police arrested 650 people.
Hundreds of climate activists have again blocked a highway near the Dutch parliament and government district in The Hague. The police used water cannons to drive the demonstrators away from the highway.
Police said 650 people were arrested and taken by bus to a football stadium, where most of them were released. The officers also confiscated drums that the demonstrators used to disrupt police communications. The demonstrators later received their instruments back.
State should climate-damaging ones Abolish subsidies
The group Extinction Rebellion (XR) had called for the highway blockade for the eighth day in a row. According to its own statements, the group wants to block the A12 every day until all government subsidies for fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are canceled in the Netherlands.
The group accuses the government of failing to keep a promise to eliminate tax breaks and other forms of subsidies for aviation, shipping, fossil fuel power generation and oil production.