Tens of thousands take part in Amsterdam climate march

By Janene Pieters on March 11, 2019 - 08:08
Over 40,000 people participated in the Climate March in Amsterdam, 10 March 2019
Over 40,000 people participated in the Climate March in Amsterdam, 10 March 2019Photo: Milieudefensie/Twitter

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Amsterdam's Dam square on Sunday to protest for a more active policy. Carrying signs saying things like 'What will my world look like when I'm as big as you?', 'Save the earth', and 'Do something', the demonstrators marched through the cold and rain from Dam Square to the Museumplein, NU.nl reports.

The Climate March was organized by environmental organizations Greenpeace, Milieudefensie and Oxfam Novib, among others. According to Greenpeace, over 40 thousand people participated in the march. "We knew that a lot of people had signed up, but that so many actually came despite the bad weather is incredible", a Greenpeace spokesperson said to the newspaper. 

The march started at 1:00 p.m. with performances by Claudia de Breij and Typhoon. Climate Scientist Heleen de Coninck gave a speech, and the initiators of the so-called 'climate truants' - pupils and students skipping school and classes to protest for more climate measures - were also given a chance to speak. Due to the massive interest, the organizers decided to start the march even before the podium program ended. Demonstrators marched to the Museumplein while the podium program continued. According to a Greenpeace spokesperson, the protest happened without any major incidents.

This was the largest climate protest ever in the Netherlands, the Greenpeace spokesperson said to NU.nl. The 'climate truants' protest in February had over 10 thousand participants, and a climate march in 2018 drew eight thousand protesters. "It says two things", the spokesperson said. "People are seriously worried, otherwise you will not stand in the cold and rain on your free Sunday. And people really want something to happen now. More than ever, the climate must be on top of the political agenda."

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