Netherlands police use water cannon, detain 2,400 climate activists
People are sprayed by a water cannon, as climate activists block the A12 highway in The Hague, Netherlands, September 9, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
THE HAGUE — Police deployed water cannons to disperse thousands of climate activists protesting on a highway in the Netherlands on Saturday, September 9, to demand an end to government subsidies for the fossil fuel industry.
More than 10,000 people marched along the A12 highway into The Hague, ignoring warnings from authorities not to block the major traffic artery into the Dutch seat of government.
The police said in a statement they detained 2,400 protesters, including minors. There were no reports of injuries.
Extinction Rebellion, which organized the event, has said it will continue to hold protests until the government of the Netherlands stops using public funds to subsidize the oil and gas industry.
“The seas are rising and so are we,” chanted the crowd, which included children and the elderly.
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