On Saturday, around six thousand protesters walked onto the A12 highway, a major motorway in the Netherlands. The protest was organized by Extinction Rebellion, which according to their website uses “using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency.”
This particular protest was meant to advocate for an end to fossil fuel subsidies. According to the BBC, 1,579 people were arrested after refusing to leave. Police used water cannons in an attempt to disperse the crowds, although protesters seemed prepared with raincoats and bathing suits. The police and Extinction Rebellion disagree on whether law enforcement asked protesters to leave before firing the water canons.
Several Dutch celebrities were among those arrested, including Carice van Houten, who Game of Thrones will remember as the Red Woman Melisandre. The sign she was holding — “the night is dark and full of fossil fuels” — is pretty brilliant.
Game of Thrones star arrested at climate protest
Although over 1,500 people were arrested at the protest, most were later released, including van Houten. That said, police said that 40 will be prosecuted.
Notably, the protest happened in the Hague, which is not only the seat of government for the Netherlands but also the home of both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. If you want to use a protest to draw attention to an issue, it’s not a bad spot to do it.
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