12/30/2023 7:30 pm (current 12/30/2023 7:30 pm)
Highway blocked ©APA/ANP
Around 300 climate protesters were temporarily arrested in Amsterdam on Saturday as a highway blockade was dismantled. Seven of them are accused of having created “a life-threatening situation for themselves and other road users” by closing a section of the A10 in the south of the city, the ANP news agency reported, citing the police.
The action on the motorway, called by the organization Extinction Rebellion, was banned by the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, who belongs to the GroenLinks party. However, the organizers refused to hold the demonstration in a safe area allocated by the municipal administration. After several hours, authorities ordered the blocked section of the A10 to be cleared. According to media reports, it was largely peaceful.
According to their own statements, Extinction Rebellion wanted to use the motorway blockade to get the large Dutch bank ING to end all financing to the fossil fuel industry. Until a few years ago, the bank had its headquarters in a building next to the affected section of the A10. According to the agency's report, ING highlighted that it would stop financing oil and gas production by 2040. However, the climate group considers this commitment insufficient.