17 climate activists arrested at A10 blockade in Amsterdam

Right at the start of the Extinction Rebellion blockade on the A10, the police arrested 17 activists. According to the police, they had caused a blockade with cars, which is “Life-threatening for other road users and themselves,” the police wrote on X. The police also announced that arrests would be made if the climate activists did not leave the A10 soon.

As a result, the vehicles involved in the blockade were confiscated. About 400 to 500 climate activists are currently on the A10. The police are present in large numbers. Several police officers are on the road with a baton. A long or short baton can be used, as well as pepper spray, the police announced. In addition, more than ten riot police vans are also on standby.

According to XR spokesperson Let de Jong was last year “the hottest year ever measured, we see climate disaster after climate disaster. Yet ING persists in its fossil policy. Since the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, which ING says it endorses, the bank has fueled the climate and ecological crisis with almost 60 billion euros in fossil financing. Therefore we have no other choice,” it was said in the press release of the climate action group.

The Amsterdam city council had previously issued an "urgent appeal" to the climate activists not to demonstrate on the A10. Mayor Femke Halsema said that they would "behave differently" at the triangle, as Extinction Rebellion had already blocked the A10 for the second time.

On December 30, activists blocked the A10 for around five hours. This action was also prohibited. As a result, almost 400 people were arrested. On Thursday, the public prosecutor's office announced that six participants had been fined 200 euros for "posing a danger to the road".