Extinction Rebellion pauses daily A12 highway blockades; Hague mayor relieved

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is suspending the blockades on the Utrechtsebaan (A12) in The Hague. The group of activists will await a vote in parliament on Tuesday on a motion in which Suzanne Kroger (GroenLInks) and Raoul Boucke (D66) asked for a phase-out plan for fossil fuel subsidies. The Hague mayor, Jan van Zanen, called it a relief.

If XR indeed suspends its daily blockades, it is “good news for the many police officers who have been working since September 9 and all times before that to clear and prevent blockages,” Van Zanen said.

Fossil subsidies are schemes like tax discounts and excise duty exemptions for the fossil fuel industry. If the motion is not adopted, the daily blockades will resume, XR said. The climate activists consider the motion “recognition that politicians also see that 39.7 to 46.4 billion euros in fossil subsidies annually cannot be defended.”

In the motion, the two parliamentarians ask the government to draw up scenarios before the Christmas recess for ending the subsidies “in the term of 2, 5, and 7 years.” For each scheme, the government must also indicate how many negative consequences can be mitigated and which “national measures” can be taken if subsidies are fixed in a European context. Kroger and Boucke called fossil subsidies an “obstacle in the transition to a climate-neutral society.”

XR blocked the A12 highway in The Hague for the 27th day in a row on Thursday. Dozens of demonstrators were again arrested. In principle, they are not prosecuted for blocking the road. Every day, the police direct them to waiting buses, which take them away, usually to the ADO football stadium. Once there, they are released. On Thursday, the arrested “rebels” were brought to The Hague police headquarters.

Extinction Rebellion tops Trouw’s Sustainable 100 list

This year, XR is number one in the Sustainable 100 list by daily newspaper Trouw. The new ranking of citizens initiatives that promote a sustainable world was announced on Thursday evening in the Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam.

According to the jury, XR is this year’s most influential citizens’ initiative in the field of sustainable development. They believe that XR’s actions, like the daily A12 blockades, are necessary for the climate, even if they are sometimes difficult.

“They determine the agenda like no one else does. Everyone knows Extinction Rebellion and their fight against the abolition of fossil subsidies. And everyone now has an opinion on this subject,” said jury chairman Klaske Kruk.

XR is not the only pressure group that ended high in the Trouw ranking. Second place went to Scientist Rebellion NL, a sister organization of XR consisting of scientists. Mobilization for the Environment (MOB) by Johan Vollenbroek, which mainly challenges the nitrogen policy, is in 4th place, and 8th place went to Fossielvrij Reclame.

Last year, Caring Farmers, an organization of sustainable farmers, finished at the top of the Sustainable 100.