At least 15 arrested as riot police clear Betuweroute rail blockade in Lent-Elst area
At least 15 people were arrested Friday after riot police cleared activists from a rail blockade on the Betuweroute between Lent and Elst, Omroep Gelderland reported. Later in the evening, according to Omroep West, the riot police also dispersed ADO Den Haag supporters in The Hague after championship celebrations spilled into the city center.
In the Betuweroute incident, activists from Geef Tegengas blocked the railway between Lent and Elst, occupying the tracks since midday and halting train traffic in both directions, according to ProRail. Around 60 people were initially present on the tracks, with dozens chaining themselves to the rails.
The municipality of Overbetuwe urged the group to move to a nearby parking area, but the activists refused. Riot police intervened shortly after 6 p.m. and cleared the railway roughly an hour later. Omroep Gelderland reports that authorities arrested at least 15 people.
A spokesperson for the group said the action was intended to cause financial damage in order to pressure transport companies into supporting an immediate trade and arms embargo with Israel. The group previously blocked the Rotterdam port railway in 2025, when more than 300 people were detained.
In the separate ADO Den Haag incident, the club secured the title after SC Cambuur drew with FC Den Bosch, making the club from Leeuwarden unable to catch up. The ADO Den Haag squad watched the decisive match on television at a hospitality venue on the Hoefkade in the Transvaalbuurt and Stationsbuurt, where several hundred supporters gathered after word spread of the team’s location.
Around 11:30 p.m., roughly an hour and a half after the title was confirmed, supporters moved toward the city center, with the police attempting to prevent their entry into the inner city. Riot police carried out charges to disperse the crowd between shopping streets, after which objects were reportedly thrown at officers. The order was said to be restored shortly before midnight.
