Farmers call for 15 minute general strike in the Netherlands today

The farmers’ action group Agractie wants to bring the Netherlands to a standstill for 15 minutes on Friday. The organization called Netherlands residents to stop working for 15 minutes at 3:00 p.m. to show “solidarity with the farmers.” Farmers Defense Force, the other farmers’ action group, joined the Agractie initiative.

The farmers have been campaigning against the government’s nitrogen policy for weeks, fearing it will hit their businesses hard. With the solidarity action, the farmers want to “send a strong signal to political The Hague.”

The action group Agractie also put forward other suggestions for participating in the action. At 3:00 p.m., drivers can stop their cars or trucks for 15 minutes or sound horns. Other ideas include tying a farmer’s handkerchief on the car or wearing such a red cloth around the wrist, arm, or neck.

Hanging up an upside-down Dutch flag has already become the symbol of the farmers’ protests in recent weeks. However, the public works department Rijkswaterstaat already said it would take down flags on the highways for road safety reasons.