All climate activists removed from A12, more than 500 people arrested

All climate activists who occupied the A12 in The Hague on Sunday were removed from the highway, according to an ANP reporter on the scene. Due to the blockade, the A12 in The Hague, also known as the Utrechtsebaan, was closed in both directions. Just after 2 p.m., Rijkswaterstaat reported on X that another lane of the highway towards The Hague is open.

The police arrested more than 500 climate activists on Sunday at the blockade of the A12. They were arrested on the basis of the Public Manifestations Act, the police reported. Four minors were among the arrested activists. The police said that "as far as possible" they removed children and any supervisors from the group so that they could leave before an arrest was made. A number of people were also arrested for other criminal offenses, such as obstructing police work.

On Sunday, the A12 near The Hague was blocked by climate activists for the second day in a row. The blockade began around 11:45 a.m. At its peak, up to 1,000 people stood on and along the A12. On Saturday, about 9,000 people were still participating in the blockade, the municipality estimated at the time. In total, more than 2,400 people were arrested on Saturday.

The arrested activists were taken to buses, which will transport them to the ADO stadium, just like on Saturday. The demonstrators will be released there, a police spokesperson reported.

In the course of the demonstration, the police used a water cannon to disperse the activists. "We are currently arresting the activists on the A12. In the process, the water cannon was briefly used" the police announced around 12:30 pm.

Wij zijn op dit moment bezig met het aanhouden van de actievoerders op de #A12. Hierbij is de waterwerper kort ingezet. #10sept

— Politie Eenheid Den Haag (@POL_DenHaag) September 10, 2023

According to NOS, the road is still closed. However, efforts are underway to quickly reopen the A12 to traffic, the police reported.

The climate action group Extinction Rebellion announced it would block the stretch of the highway near the temporary Tweede Kamer and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy every day starting Saturday - until the government stops subsidies for the fossil fuel industry.

“On the first day of the permanent A12 blockade, many thousands of people showed that all fossil subsidies must end now. Every day all over the world, and especially in the Global South, people are dying from climate disasters that our government is paying for. This has to stop now. That is why we will keep coming back every day at noon until all fossil subsidies are eliminated," Tessel Hofstede, spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, stated.