For the third day in a row, activists from Extinction Rebellion tried to cause serious traffic disruption in The Hague. This time, the climate group wanted to block the Utrechtsebaan, one of the main arteries to the center, with stationary vehicles. But the attempt failed before it even started. All activists were arrested and Hans Nijenhuis, former editor-in-chief of the AD who came along for a story, was also taken.
A group of activists planned to block the road, where 60,000 cars drive daily to the center around 11.15 am, but was already stopped by the police in Leidschenveen. And so the action, which could have caused quite a bit of traffic chaos, had to be called off before it really started.
“We just had several vehicles with 25 people stop on the Danube in The Hague,” the police said. ,,We suspect that they intended to block the Utrechtsebaan. Because this could lead to dangerous situations, they were arrested for preparatory actions.”
One of the people who was taken is Hans Nijenhuis, “Among the people who have just been arrested are two people who pose as journalists,” the police explained. “Because they were in the car with the suspected demonstrators, they were also arrested. As soon as we can confirm their status as journalists, they will be sent immediately.”
Route
The activists wanted to slow down traffic on the Utrechtsebaan and eventually bring it to a complete standstill. They had drawn up a whole plan for this. They had figured out which route to drive, which lane to use and which transition to slow down. The ultimate goal was to completely stop traffic at snack bar De Vrijheid, which is located near the temporary accommodation of the House of Representatives.
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The attempt to block the important arterial road to the center of The Hague is part of ‘The Week of Climate Rebellion’. They want to block the heart of The Hague until October 18 ‘and we declare a state of emergency for the climate’, according to the activists.
The action group may demonstrate, but may not block roads
At the beginning of the week, the protest group registered three demonstrations with the municipality of The Hague. “The action group may demonstrate, but may not block roads,” the municipality of The Hague said at the time.
The demonstrators turned up in various places in the city on Monday, chained, glued and sometimes half naked. After a few hours, the police intervened. Officers had a day job to clear the roads. In total, more than sixty people were arrested during the first day of action, they were all released the next day.
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Yesterday, members of the action group also caused problems in the city. Then dozens of demonstrators showed up to occupy the intersection of Prins Clauslaan and Juliana van Stolberglaan. One of them kicked a cop in the face. The police had closed the exit to the A12 yesterday as a precaution. The blockers could be dealt with considerably faster than the day before.
The activists plan to continue protests in The Hague until October 18, sometimes announced and sometimes unannounced.
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