The police have ended the blockade of the A12 in The Hague by action group Extinction Rebellion (XR). About two hours after the start of the demonstration, the last people were removed from the highway.
For the third day in a row, climate demonstrators from XR took action on the A12 in The Hague. Around noon, several hundred demonstrators walked onto the highway. The road was closed in both directions for some time, after which the police intervened, including with water cannon.
According to XR, a total of 210 people have been arrested, the police speak of more than two hundred people arrested. Immediately at the start of the action, the police blocked the road, preventing the demonstrators from walking to the highway tunnel. Officers called on the climate activists to leave and continue demonstrating on the Laan van Reagan and Gorbachev, opposite The Hague Central Station.
The Hague mayor Van Zanen had given permission to the police to intervene.
After about an hour there were no more demonstrators on the road heading towards The Hague. The activists have been sent to the reverse lane.
It was the first time that the action group blocked the highway on a weekday. The demonstrators want to maintain the blockades until all fossil subsidies are abolished. On X (formerly Twitter), Extinction Rebellion confirms that the activists will be back tomorrow.
The municipality of The Hague is not happy with the blockages. Mayor Jan van Zanen said today: “Regardless of the purpose of the demonstration, the motorway should never become a sanctuary from a disruptive blockade, which is why we continue to take action against this. Of course, everyone is free to make their voice heard, on the Laan van Reagan and Gorbachev or one of the many other places in the city.”
Minors
On Saturday, thousands of activists blocked the tunnel of the A12. 2,400 demonstrators were arrested, including dozens of minors. The demonstrators were taken by buses to the ADO stadium, on the edge of the highway. From there, the majority were allowed to go home.
During yesterday’s demonstration, the police intervened earlier than the day before. An hour and a half after the blockade began, the police removed the last demonstrator. More than 500 people were arrested. According to XR, all demonstrators were released the same day.
The Public Prosecution Service reports today that two activists who were at the blockades yesterday are still in custody. To start the blockade, several cars stopped around noon. Two activists who got out of stationary cars have been arrested by the police for causing a dangerous traffic situation. They were taken to the police station. The Public Prosecution Service has yet to decide whether they will be brought to trial.
- How far can activists go? ‘A little inconvenience is fine’
- Climate demonstrators were again removed from the A12, more than 500 people were arrested
- 2,400 demonstrators, including dozens of minors, arrested at the A12 blockade
