Climate march shuts down Hague motorway during police strike


THE HAGUE (AFP) – Extinction Rebellion (XR) climate activists blocked a major motorway running through The Hague yesterday, their “most disruptive” action yet to protest against billions of euros in Dutch fossil fuel subsidies.

The demonstration coincided with a police strike over pensions.

While officers were present in case of emergencies, they were not set to break up the protest as usually happens. Many of the activists had conducted a week-long march from Arnhem in the east of the Netherlands that culminated in the protest on the A12 motorway that serves The Hague.

XR said some protesters planned to take advantage of the police absence to camp out overnight in the motorway tunnels.

“We will keep coming back until the subsidies are abolished,” said XR spokeswoman Rozemarijn van ‘t Einde, adding that they amounted to between EUR39.7 and EUR46.4 billion per year.

Authorities have not ruled out shutting off large sections of the motorway to traffic to ensure the activists’ safety.

The XR group regularly targets the A12 motorway and police often arrest hundreds of protesters.

Extinction Rebellion activists block the A12 motorway near The Hague in the Netherlands. PHOTO: AFP