No arrests after turbulent action by climate activists at Tata Steel

No arrests were made during the action by climate activists at the Tata Steel site in Velsen, a police spokesperson reported. However, activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR), who had chained themselves to a railroad line near the plant, were untied by the police and taken to another location. They were then allowed to leave, the police said.

Hundreds of climate activists broke through the steel company's fences late in the morning on Saturday and entered the site. They stayed there for more than six hours and ended their action shortly after 6 p.m. by leaving the site voluntarily.

The climate action group claims that Tata Steel is one of the largest and dirtiest steel companies in Europe and poses a threat to the health of Dutch residents. With the action, Greenpeace wants to draw attention to the fact that 150,000 people "live directly under Tata Steel's toxic clouds," it says on its website. According to the organization, this has led to lung cancer being up to 50% more common in the area, and younger children being at higher risk of brain damage.

A spokesperson for the municipality of Velsen stated that the "right to demonstrate is a great thing" and that it had been decided to take administrative rather than criminal action against the activists. According to the spokesperson, that is what happened to the XR activists who had chained themselves to the railroad tracks and refused to leave. "Even though an emergency decree was in effect and they were on private property, they had the right to demonstrate. That's why we chose this course of action because it is a reputable method."

The Tata Steel management said it was "relieved that this action went off without any incidents." “I think we share the same end goal with Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion and others: to further reduce emissions and the production of green steel, with as little impact as possible on the environment and the climate. I hope that together we can focus on this beautiful dot on the horizon,” said Hans van den Berg, CEO of Tata Steel Netherlands.

However, it remains unclear how the company assesses the fact that no people were arrested. The spokesperson for Tata Steel pointed out that the activists were on private property and "that is punishable by law."

The climate action also has financial implications for the steel company. For example, Tata Steel scaled back the company's activities in the run-up to Saturday's event to avoid dangerous situations for protesters, employees, and the environment. How extensive the damage is, is still unclear to the steel company. "We have yet to do the math," the spokesperson said. Regarding a possible claim for damages against the activists, the spokesperson "does not give any statements.”

Greenpeace said it was pleased with how the action went. "The fact that there were no arrests is also a compliment to the mayor for upholding the right to protest." Lawyer Willem Jebbink, speaking on behalf of the environmental organization, said there were no arrests, "which proves compliance with international rules on freedom of demonstration. When demonstrators are peaceful, tolerance is required from the government." Jebbink believes that the public administration in other municipalities can take an example from this.

The municipality had previously issued an emergency decree, but it was ignored en masse. The police did not intervene, and the authorities had previously announced that they would support the demonstration as best as possible and monitor the situation on the site.