The Dutch police have announced that they have arrested 1,000 individuals who participated in a civil disobedience action organized by the environmental group Extinction Rebellion. The demonstration aimed to protest the country’s subsidies for fossil fuel industries.
The protesters chose to block the A12 highway in the heart of The Hague, near parliament and various important ministries. After approximately 45 minutes, the police intervened and made the arrests, citing violations of laws concerning public demonstrations. Subsequently, traffic on the highway resumed, and the police later confirmed that no charges would be filed against the arrested individuals.
This event marks the ninth similar action that has taken place in The Hague since July 2022. In response to these protests, the Dutch parliament had previously urged the government to devise a plan for gradually phasing out subsidies to fossil fuel industries. These subsidies are estimated to amount to 39.7 billion to 46.4 billion euros ($44 billion to $51 billion).
However, the proposed plan was never presented, and the Netherlands has been without a functioning government since the last November elections, in which the far-right leader Geert Wilders’ party secured the highest number of votes. Despite this, no coalition has been formed, leading to a political stalemate.
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