Six protestors to be fined for Extinction Rebellion blockade of A10 in Amsterdam

The Public Prosecution Service has fined six demonstrators of Extinction Rebellion a sum of 200 euros each for their blockade of the A10 motorway in Amsterdam on December 30th. The Public Prosecutors say they are punishable for creating a dangerous situation on the road, the Justice Department reported on Thursday.

The activists will appeal against the fines, an Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman said. "The importance of demonstrating here outweighs violating the road traffic law," she believes.

The public prosecutor made the decision after watching camera footage and hearing statements from the six suspects. The six demonstrators walked from the A10 West to the A10 South and remained in a so-called displacement area while traffic from the direction of Schiphol rushed past.

Extinction Rebellion protested on the motorway near the former headquarters of ING against the financing of "climate disruption." The police arrested a total of almost four hundred activists.

"Everybody has a right to demonstrate, and that is an important part of our rule of law," according to the Public Prosecutor. "But a motorway is an irresponsible place to demonstrate. Blocking a main highway where the speed limit is 100 km per hour is worse than civil disobedience."

The authorities blocked the Extinction Rebellion protest on the A10 as this could cause life-threatening situations. The activists are planning on protesting on the motorway again on Saturday.

The group does not accept an alternative location. "We are in a state of emergency and want to draw as much attention as possible to the policy of ING, which is also the State's main banker," the spokeswoman explains. According to her, the previous action did not pose any dangers or risks at any time.