Police and Public Prosecution Service will take faster action against activists

The police and Public Prosecution Service will react quicker and more directly against protestors who break the law. That could mean issuing immediate fines. If they cannot act directly, they will be fined and prosecuted afterward.

This was agreed in the emergency meeting between the outgoing Minister of Justice Dilan Yeşilgöz, the Public Prosecution Service, and the police that took place on Wednesday morning. It was about the farmers' protests in recent days, the highway blockades by Extinction Rebellion, and protests where "reprehensible slogans are chanted," they said in a joint statement.

Enough is enough, the three say. "This is not demonstrating, this is not protesting, these are illegal actions or even crimes being committed. The activists will not get away with it."

Yeşilgöz, the Public Prosecution Service, and the police have looked back on Monday night farmer protests, where motorways were blocked, farm vehicles were driven on the highway, fireworks were set off, and fires were started. "This resulted in dangerous situations for road users and emergency personnel," the statement reads.

The Public Prosecution Service believes that" serious criminal offenses" were made on Monday night by the farmers on the motorways. Two people were arrested at a protest on the A50.

"These actions undermine support for the right to demonstrate. We cannot abuse the right to demonstrate," the three parties state after the meeting, where they also looked back at the law enforcement and possible prosecution of the activists "who have committed serious misconduct."

VVD MP Ingrid Michon calls the agreements that were made during the emergency meeting "good news" on X. She did add, however, that mayors should not be forgotten: "The powers of the mayors are and will remain desperately needed in combating these major public disorders."

The police brought in specialized staff from their national unit to conduct a large-scale operation on Tuesday. This means that the police can quickly deploy and distribute police capacity in the event of any future incidents.