Climate activists protest against Shell and VDL Nedcar

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion demonstrate at the access roads to Shell Pernis. They are standing at the intersection of Petroleumweg and Vondelingenweg and the intersection of Vondelingenweg and Botlekweg. A road parallel to the Petroleumweg is also blocked.

Extinction Rebellion en @SR_Netherlands komen samen om onze stem te laten horen. Elke investering in een nieuw project betekent dat er meer CO2 i/d atmosfeer terechtkomt. Wij eisen dat er een einde komt aan boringen in de Noordzee. #NorthSeaFossilFree pic.twitter.com/QHFCBkx9dR

— Extinction Rebellion Nederland (@NLRebellion) March 16, 2024

XR said it is taking action against Shell because it is "still planning to increase and expand production." At the same time, Shell is letting the old rigs and pipelines in the North Sea rust away."

“Like the rest of the fossil industry, Shell is only interested in profits and shareholder returns. The appeal against the verdict in the Milieudefensie climate case shows that Shell completely lacks a moral compass,” said XR spokesperson Bram Kroezen.

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb's spokesperson said the municipality had been notified of the complaint and was "supported in principle." The mayor does not yet see any reason to take action. "If public order is at stake, we will enter into talks with the protesters," the mayor’s spokesperson said. The police are present at the action.

XR has also carried out actions in other countries around the North Sea. Demonstrations are taking place simultaneously in the UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. The demonstrators are against the approval of new sites for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea and the Wadden Sea.

❗️BREAKING ❗️
Activists in six North Sea countries blockade fossil fuel infrastructure.

Across Scotland, local groups are supporting North Sea Fossil Free international day of action with banner drops.#NorthSeaFossilFree #AsTheSeaDiesWeDie #TheSeaKnowsNoBorders pic.twitter.com/4DnxO1Oc0N

— Extinction Rebellion Scotland (@ScotlandXr) March 16, 2024

Activists plant new trees near former Nedcar car factory

Several dozen activists planted new trees on Saturday in the felled Sterrebos forest near the former Nedcar car factory in Born. The forest was cut down two years ago by Nedcar owner VDL to expand the factory. But instead of expanding, VDL-Nedcar had to stop building cars. According to the activists, the centuries-old forest was cut down for nothing.

A contract with BMW for the production of Minis has now also expired. Last month, the last car left the Nedcar production line and virtually all employees were dismissed. "The site looks empty and desolate and the factory halls are empty," the action groups said in a statement.

The activists started planting oaks, chestnuts, maples, birch, ash, and beech, as well as cardinal's cap, hazel, wild cherry, elder, dog rose, hawthorn, and ground cover honeysuckle, around noon on Saturday. The activists want to plant a total of 500 new trees.

Action group Save the Sterrebos calls on VDL and the province of Limburg not to have hundreds of trees cut down. The activists are afraid that responsible deputy Stefan Satijn of VVD Limburg, with the support of the Limburg CDA, wants to have a neighboring road, the N276, moved to make the factory even more accessible. However, there is hardly any activity there anymore. Another 350 trees must be cut down for this. This relocation of the road was planned in case the factory expanded, which did not happen.

The action groups Save the Sterrebos and Extinction Rebellion pointed out that the province has reserved 50 million euros for this and still wants to continue with that plan. The action groups are asking the province to drop the plan and invest millions in nature restoration.

A spokesperson for the province said that the money has indeed still been reserved but that the new road will only be built "if VDL-Nedcar can demonstrate that it is necessary." To achieve this, the company must be able to demonstrate, among other things, that there is work for at least 6,500 people for a longer period of time. "That is not an issue now."