Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested by Dutch police at a demonstration in The Hague. On Saturday, the 21-year-old activist joined hundreds of protesters in a demonstration against the support of fossil fuels, wrote the BBC.
The demonstration came to a standstill when dozens of police officers, some on horseback, tried to prevent the protesters from blocking a main road.
The demonstrators wanted to close the A12 highway in The Hague, according to the Extinction Rebellion (XR) organizers, for the 37th time. The road has been closed regularly since 2022. The demonstration was called to denounce the Dutch government’s tax breaks for companies linked to the fossil fuel industry, including energy company Shell and airline KLM.
Activists had hoped to put pressure on the government ahead of a planned June debate on fossil fuel subsidies.
The world’s best-known climate activist tried to blend in with the crowd, but because of his stardom, this protest attracted more attention than previous XR blockades on the A12 motorway.
Some media outlets reported that local residents were annoyed that the climate protest was taking place on the hottest day of the year so far, which could make access to The Hague beach difficult.
A group of activists then marched from the city center to a field next to the highway, where they were met by a wall of local police. Some protesters broke through the ranks of the police, but they were caught and handcuffed in a short time.
It is important to protest today because the planet is in a state of emergency. We must do everything possible to avoid a crisis and save human lives
– said Thunberg to the AFP news agency. Asked if he was worried about the police action, he said:
No. Why should I?
Thunberg was among a small group of climate activists who broke away and took to the road. More than a hundred of them were arrested by the police and crammed into minibuses. Despite this, the Swedish activist described his arrest as “peaceful”, sitting in the back and chatting before being taken away.
In previous demonstrations in The Hague, the police directed those arrested away from the epicenter of the demonstration and then released them without further consequences.
Later, news emerged that Thunberg returned to the demonstration and was arrested a second time.
Police told the BBC that some people who had been arrested and released had been re-arrested. It has not been confirmed whether Thunberg was among them.
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