Rainbow Warriors: Dutch police shoot eco-protesters with water cannons and drag them away as demonstrators close main road for seventh day
- Protests in The Hague against subsidies for fossil fuel industries continue
- Dutch police used water cannons in an attempt to drive away activists
- Environmental activists worldwide are planning a weekend full of climate protests
Police in the Netherlands today used water cannons in The Hague to remove environmental activists who have been disrupting traffic for seven days.
Protesters, from groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace and others, are demanding that the Dutch government stop subsidies to industries that use fossil fuels.
Photos from Friday showed water cannons spraying protesters as they blocked the A12 through The Hague. Protesters carried signs reading “Stop Funding the Problem” as police appeared to detain the activists.
The demonstrations followed a report published last week by the Center for Research on Multinational Corporations, which found that the Dutch government has subsidized industries that use oil, coal and gas to the tune of around 37.5 billion euros.
Police pushed demonstrators off the road, while activists sat under umbrellas as they were engulfed by water cannons.
Environmental protesters were shot with water cannons on Friday as Dutch police tried to clear them from a major road in The Hague
Protests have been going on for seven days against subsidies for fossil fuel industries
Activists in The Hague blocked the A12, a road that runs near the temporary home of the Dutch parliament
Thousands have been arrested since the protests began a week ago.
About 10,000 people are said to have attended the demonstration last Saturday, and more than 3,000 demonstrators were arrested over the weekend.
Friday’s protests in the Netherlands coincided with other protests in dozens of other countries around the world, as climate groups hoped for a weekend of demonstrations that would culminate in a march to end fossil fuels in New York on Sunday . United Nations General Assembly.
On September 20, the United Nations will organize the Climate Ambition Summit.
Activists in The Hague have vowed to stay and return if removed until the Dutch government changes its approach to subsidies to fossil fuel industries.
Environmental activists have organized several major protests in the Netherlands in recent months. In May and March, activists also blocked the A12 that runs past the current temporary home of the Dutch parliament.
Thousands have been arrested since the protests began seven days ago
The Netherlands prepares for elections in November 2023 and environmentalists call for a faster transition away from fossil fuels
Activists from Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace and other groups took part in the protests
Although the Netherlands is often seen as a frontrunner on environmental issues, there are calls for further green measures as the country heads towards snap general elections in November.
Incumbent Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has been in power for almost thirteen years, has said he will not seek re-election. His coalition collapsed in July amid a dispute over migration policy.
The Netherlands wants to reduce pollutant emissions by 50 percent by 2030 in what the government calls an ‘inevitable transition’.
The Netherlands wants to reduce pollutant emissions by 50 percent by 2030 in what the government calls an ‘inevitable transition’
Demonstrators were taken away by the police in The Hague
On September 20, the United Nations will organize the Climate Ambition Summit