Three climate activists have been wrongly imposed an area ban by the Public Prosecution Service for the Utrechtsebaan of the A12 in The Hague. This has been ruled by the court in The Hague. The three had only called for a blockade, but it had not yet taken place when they received an area ban.
Five other Extinction Rebellion activists who were arrested have rightly received this area ban, because they had previously called for other blockades of the highway. They had already been there.
Merely calling for a blockade of the A12 is not a serious disturbance of public order, the court ruled. That block itself is.
Randomness
“I am really furious. I am so disappointed that my right to demonstrate has been taken away from me,” says Tessel Hofstede of Extinction Rebellion. She is one of five activists who were rightly given an area order.
“I feel there is arbitrariness. There are a lot of people who have called for these blockades and then only we will get an area ban.”
Extinction Rebellion will now file a complaint against the Dutch state at the European Court of Human Rights.
Utrechtsebaan closed for hours
768 people were arrested during the climate protest on the Utrechtsebaan in January. Extinction Rebellion had called for people to come to The Hague to protest against government subsidies for fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas. The Public Prosecution Service found this sedition, arrested nearly 770 activists and imposed area bans.
The Utrechtsebaan was closed for hours because of the protest.
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