6 months Ago
Climate, War and Injustice Are All Connected, Say Activists
The protest, say XR and aligned group Extinction Rebellion Justice Now, will raise a number of issues: increased military budgets, the war in Gaza, subsidies for fossil fuels and right-wing political trends.
"While government leaders continue to bank on ever increased arms money, the genocide in Palestine continues, we are stuck with racist/fascist policies, and the climate crisis is ongoing," a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
The protest site on the A12 is close to the temporary Dutch parliament building and the employers' organization VNO-NCW that has campaigned for more investment in defense. XR also claimed that the NATO Summit is an important point to question what they consider to be misguided national priorities.
City Responds Police Position To Crack Down
The Hague authorities were aware of the protest and had said that the right to demonstrate would be upheld throughout the summit. Discussions with the organizers of a number of anticipated demonstrations are ongoing, the city said. "We investigate even in instances when alleged conduct hasn't been officially reported," a spokesman said.
The city also said that shutting down the A12 is not allowed and action would be taken against any similar form of protest. The mayor Jan van Zanen has already said that it is not legally possible for a emergency ordinance, to automatically close road A12 before hand, so preventing protesters from gathering in the area is not possible.
In past XR actions on the A12, police had cleared the highway within hours, driving activists away in vans to be dumped without charge on the fringes of the city.
