More than 1,500 demonstrators were arrested Saturday, May 27, during a demonstration by the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion in The Hague to protest fossil fuel subsidies. According to a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, the demonstration gathered some 7,000 people on this sunny Saturday afternoon. According to the Dutch news agency ANP, never have so many demonstrators been arrested.
It was the movement's seventh action on the Utrechtsebaan section of the A12 motorway in central The Hague, located a stone's throw from Parliament and key ministries.
Targeted by a police water cannon to force them to leave the scene, several activists had provided a swimsuit and danced under the drops. Hundreds of police were deployed to ensure public order during the demonstration, which began around noon.
Police said in a statement that they "immediately and repeatedly called on the activists to end their action and leave", adding that those "who did not have been arrested". "A total of 1,579 people were arrested", the vast majority of whom were quickly released, and "40 will be prosecuted" including for vandalism and contempt, police said, adding that one of the activists had bitten a police officer.
Several Dutch celebrities have already taken part in the actions of Extinction Rebellion on this road in The Hague, which often lead to clashes with the police. In March, nearly 700 activists were arrested, according to the ANP. Actress Carice Van Houten, 46, best known for her role as Melisandre in the series "Game of Thrones", was part of the group of activists. She was arrested but according to her agent, she was able to return to her home in the evening, reported the ANP. In a video she posted on Instagram, the actress is seen wearing a red poncho, getting wet from the water cannon.
“We come back every month, or every two months, and each time the number of protesters doubles,” said Aaron Pereira, 31, spokesman for Extinction Rebellion. "There is broad popular support for real climate action and people are realizing that the government is actively opposing it by subsidizing the fossil fuel industry," he told Agence France Presse. . “Blocking a road like this has been recognized by the European Court of Human Rights as a legitimate form of protest,” he added.
