Police will not break up 7-day Extinction Rebellion blockade on A12 in The Hague

The police will not intervene in the scheduled climate march that Extinction Rebellion will hold from 8 to 14 September, which will result in a new blockade of the A12 motorway, the police unions announced on Friday. This is part of the police protests to push the government into developing a permanent early retirement scheme.

Police officers will be present to ensure the safety of the participants and other drivers, the unions stated. “The police will not perform any further work during the road blockade in The Hague.”

A spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion reported that the activists will “stand, sleep, and sit” on the A12 until fossil fuel subsidies are abolished. This was also the intention behind their previous protests, but the demonstrators were taken away by the police in those cases. This does not seem like it will be the case on this occasion.

This decision by the police is the next step in a string of actions to push for a structural arrangement that would allow an earlier retirement age than the state pension age. The current arrangement is expiring soon.

The unions have been protesting since the autumn. This started by no longer fining people for minor misdemeanors, temporarily closing police stations, and not working during football matches. The protest ensured that Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb decided to call off the match between Feyenoord and Ajax, which was scheduled to be played this Sunday.