Police use water cannon at Extinction Rebellion demonstration on A12 in The Hague

The police used water cannons against Extinction Rebellion demonstrators blocking the A12 highway in The Hague on Saturday afternoon. About 1.5 hours after the protest began, the climate protesters were asked to leave the highway. When they did not comply, the water cannons began spraying.

However, the demonstrators were not dissuaded by the police action and remained seated under the water spray as they had brought umbrellas. The activists, including a group of young demonstrators with blue-painted faces and glittery scarves, are still blocking the Utrechtsebaan. According to Trouw, they are well prepared and have swimsuits, snacks, and clean clothes with them. It's not their first time here, says one of them. But it's still exciting, especially because the water cannon can hurt quite a bit.

Waterkanonnen worden geleegd op klimaatactivisten die de A12 bij Den Haag blokkeren. pic.twitter.com/gZijpQC3iM

— Omroep West (@omroepwest) September 9, 2023

During the police's attempt to use water cannons to get the protesters off the highway, the climate protesters danced under the water cannon's rays, shouting "We are peaceful, what are you?" Seemingly, the water cannons don't seem to bother anyone.

Overall, more than 10,000 people are participating in the climate protests on Saturday in The Hague. The municipality estimates that there are "a maximum of 9,000" people on or next to the A12 highway. Furthermore, the Hague authorities believe that approximately 1,500 people will attend a support demonstration near The Hague Central station. In total, this amounts to "between 10,000 and a maximum of 12,000 people", according to the municipality.

The organizers, however, have a slightly higher estimate. They think there are about 16,000 people on the A12, twice as many as during the previous highway blockade. Furthermore, they estimate that there are approximately 4,000 people at the support demonstration. That would amount to about 20,000 people, and according to Milieudefensie it could be 25,000.