XR blocks A10 highway near Amsterdam, 25 climate activists arrested

The climate action group Extinction Rebellion (XR) will block the A10 highway near Amsterdam for the third time on Saturday. Hundreds of activists were arrested during the two previous actions. According to the municipality of Amsterdam and the public prosecutor's office (OM), XR's actions endanger traffic safety. The climate action group, however, described the actions as "safe and responsible."

XR's actions are directed against ING's investment policy. The activists demand that the bank immediately stop financing fossil fuel companies. ING has announced that it will no longer finance new oil and gas projects until 2040. The bank described how XR conducts its campaign as "unacceptable." Overall, the A10 is a symbolic place, as ING's headquarters used to be located on the highway. The building is known as "the shoe."

XR claims that ING does not care about the environmental pollution the bank causes with its fossil fuel policy. Even though ING endorses the Paris Climate Agreement, the bank has financed the climate and ecological crisis with almost 60 billion euros, the climate action group stated in its press release.

"ING says it aims to adhere to the Paris Agreement but is doing nothing to ensure that global warming remains below 1.5 degrees. By the time ING stops fossil financing — only in 16 years, in 2040!"— we have exceeded 1.5 degrees for a long time, resulting in many millions of climate deaths," said XR spokesperson Let de Jong.

The action is planned for Saturday from noon. XR has announced that over 80 musicians will take part in the blockade. They want to perform the final chorus of the St. Matthew Passion, which focuses on the Passion of Jesus. The piece will be played at various locations in the Netherlands on this quiet Saturday before Easter. At the end, the choir will sing "We sit down with tears". The XR supporters find the piece fitting for the current situation. "We cry because we are deeply concerned about the future of life on this planet," said one XR musician.