Extinction Rebellion activists protest at Schiphol and Maastricht Aachen Airport

Extinction Rebellion activists protest at Schiphol Airport and Maastricht Aachen Airport on Saturday. The climate activists are also taking action at other airports in Europe and North America.

The XR activists are protesting against unnecessary air travel and the "destructive effects" of air traffic on the climate with umbrellas and deckchairs at airports. "Right now, thousands of innocent people are dying, and entire countries are being destroyed as we continue to extract and burn fossil fuels. So we take nonviolent collective action to defend humanity," XR states.

The climate action at Schiphol Airport will start at noon, and the one at Maastricht Aachen Airport will begin at 10:30 a.m. An XR spokesperson said that passengers would not be affected by the protest and that, so far, there are no known plans for actions that would inconvenience travelers.

Schiphol and Maastricht Aachen Airport have been informed of XR's action plans. The Royal Marechaussee is also aware of this but would not say whether additional preventive measures will be taken. "If measures need to be taken, we will do so," said a spokesperson for the Marechaussee.

Climate groups had already organized protests at several European airports last week. For example, climate activists glued themselves to a runway at Cologne/Bonn Airport in Germany.

Several organizations working together in Oil Kills planned the actions. According to the umbrella organization, the activists want to completely phase out oil, gas, and coal by 2030.

In addition, XR calls on the government to support and finance poorer countries in making a rapid and fair transition to green alternatives. According to the climate action group, this can be achieved by "supporting the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative" and seeking a mandate to establish it.