Sunday, November 12, 2023

Thousands march through Amsterdam calling for climate action ahead of Dutch general election


Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined thousands of people who marched through Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, to call for more action to tackle climate change. Thunberg was among the speakers at the march that comes 10 days before national elections in the Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)



Thousands of people marched through Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, to call for more action to tackle climate change. Activist Greta Thunberg was among the speakers at the march that comes 10 days before national elections in the Netherlands. 



Thousands of people marched through Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, to call for more action to tackle climate change. Activist Greta Thunberg was among the speakers at the march that comes 10 days before national elections in the Netherlands. 



Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined thousands of people who marched through Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, to call for more action to tackle climate change. Thunberg was among the speakers at the march that comes 10 days before national elections in the Netherlands.


Thousands of people marched through Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, to call for more action to tackle climate change. Activist Greta Thunberg was among the speakers at the march that comes 10 days before national elections in the Netherlands.

 (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)


MIKE CORDER
Sun, 12 November 2023

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Amsterdam on Sunday calling for more action to tackle climate change, in a mass protest just 10 days before a national election.

Organizers claimed that 70,000 people took part in the march and called it the biggest climate protest ever in the Netherlands.

Activist Greta Thunberg was among those walking through the historic heart of the Dutch capital. She and former European Union climate chief Frans Timmermans, who now leads a center-left, two-party bloc in the election campaign, were among speakers due to address a crowd that gathered on a square behind the landmark Rijksmuseum.

"We live in a time of crises, all of which are the result of the political choices that have been made. It has to be done and it can be done differently,” organizer the Climate Crisis Coalition said in a statement.

While the coalition included the Fridays for Future youth movement, protesters were all ages and included a large contingent of medics in white coats carrying a banner emblazoned with the text: “Climate crisis = health crisis.”

“I am a pediatrician. I’m here standing up for the rights of children," said Laura Sonneveld. “Children are the first to be affected by climate change.”

Tackling climate change is one of the key policy areas for political parties contesting the Nov. 22 general election.

“It is time for us to protest about government decisions," said Margje Weijs, a Spanish teacher and youth coach. “I hope this influences the election."



The leading candidate of the Dutch Labour Party, Frans Timmermans attends The March for Climate and Justice to demand political change before the elections in Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 12 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Acquire Licensing Rights



Greta Thunberg brushes off interruption at massive Dutch climate march days before election


AMSTERDAM (AP) — Climate activist Greta Thunberg was briefly interrupted Sunday by a man who approached her on stage after she invited a Palestinian and an Afghan woman to speak at a climate protest in the Dutch capital.

By Mike Corder The Associated Press
Sunday, November 12, 202

A small group of Palestinians demonstrate as tens of thousands of people gathered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, to call for more action to tackle climate change. Thunberg was among the speakers at the march that comes 10 days before national elections in the Netherlands.
(AP Photo/Peter Dejong)


AMSTERDAM (AP) — Climate activist Greta Thunberg was briefly interrupted Sunday by a man who approached her on stage after she invited a Palestinian and an Afghan woman to speak at a climate protest in the Dutch capital.

Thunberg was speaking to a crowd of tens of thousands when she invited the women onto the stage.

“As a climate justice movement, we have to listen to the voices of those who are being oppressed and those who are fighting for freedom and for justice. Otherwise, there can be no climate justice without international solidarity,” Thunberg said.

After the Palestinian and Afghan women spoke and Thunberg resumed her speech, a man came onto the stage and told her: “I have come here for a climate demonstration, not a political view,” before he was ushered off the stage.

The man's identity was not immediately clear. He was wearing a jacket with the name of a group called Water Natuurlijk that has elected members in Dutch water boards.

The Afghan woman, Sahar Shirzad, told The Associated Press that Thunberg allowed them to take the stage with her.

“Basically, she gave her time to us,” she said.


Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined thousands of people who marched through Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, to call for more action to tackle climate change. Thunberg was among the speakers at the march that comes 10 days before national elections in the Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)


Before Thunberg took the stage, the event was briefly interrupted as a small group of activists at the front of the crowd waved Palestinian flags and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans.

She appeared undeterred and was later seen dancing behind the stage as band played.

The incident came after tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Amsterdam calling for more action to tackle climate change, in a mass protest just 10 days before a national election.

Organizers claimed that 70,000 people took part in the march and called it the biggest climate protest ever in the Netherlands.

Thunberg was among those walking through the historic heart of the Dutch capital.

Political leaders including former European Union climate chief Frans Timmermans, who now leads a center-left, two-party bloc in the election campaign, later addressed the crowd gathered on a square behind the landmark Rijksmuseum.


Climate activist Greta Thunberg,right, was interrupted by a climate activist, left, after Thunberg expressed solidarity with the Palestinians as tens of thousands of people marched through Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, to call for more action to tackle climate change. Thunberg was among the speakers at the march that comes 10 days before national elections in the Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

"We live in a time of crises, all of which are the result of the political choices that have been made. It has to be done and it can be done differently,” organizer the Climate Crisis Coalition said in a statement.

While the coalition included the Fridays for Future youth movement, protesters were all ages and included a large contingent of medics in white coats carrying a banner emblazoned with the text: “Climate crisis = health crisis.”

“I am a pediatrician. I’m here standing up for the rights of children," said Laura Sonneveld. “Children are the first to be affected by climate change.”

Tackling climate change is one of the key policy areas for political parties contesting the Nov. 22 general election.

“It is time for us to protest about government decisions," said Margje Weijs, a Spanish teacher and youth coach. “I hope this influences the election."
___


Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

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