Police break up XR protest in Naturalis museum in Leiden

The police have broken up a protest by Extinction Rebellion (XR) in front of the Museum Naturalis in Leiden. Around 20 demonstrators from the action group held a “death march” for biodiversity in front of the museum, carrying a coffin with the words “Biodiversity” on it, among other things. The activists then sat down, which could be seen on a livestream from the action group. When the museum closed at 5:30 p.m., the demonstrators were still sitting there.

As the demonstrators did not want to leave voluntarily, a report was filed for trespassing, according to a museum spokeswoman. At around 6 p.m., the demonstrators were asked to leave the site. However, none of the activists left the museum. They were eventually ordered off the premises by police officers. Some of the demonstrators were dragged and carried out of the building by the officers. No one was arrested.

According to Extinction Rebellion, the Naturalis collection does not focus enough on the state of biodiversity today. XR wants the museum to “clearly inform the public about the biodiversity crisis”. The climate action group claims that biodiversity is "under serious threat from a global economic system that puts profit above all else. This system has not only led to ecological degradation, but is also linked to broader societal problems such as colonialism and oppression."

The climate action group has already held protests at Naturalis in the past. Two years ago, for example, several activists were arrested after a naked protest in the mammoth hall of the nature museum, according to Omroep West.

Naturalis told the protesters that it will issue a statement on Tuesday.