Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was taken into custody on Saturday after participating in a climate protest that involved blocking a highway in the Hague, the Netherlands. Photographs captured the moment of her arrest.
Greta Thunberg, along with a group of Extinction Rebellion Netherlands protesters, made a daring move by storming onto the A12 highway in The Hague. However, their efforts were short-lived as they were swiftly apprehended by the police. This incident was reported by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraf.
Thunberg and her fellow protesters were seen being forcefully removed from the roadway during their 37th blockade of the busy thoroughfare since 2022. Their aim was to demand new international measures against fossil subsidies.
At 2:15 p.m. local time, police made an announcement stating their intention to bring the action to a close. Those who refused to comply were informed that they would be arrested. Subsequently, some activists chose to leave on their own accord, while others were forcibly removed and transported on buses.
Greta Thunberg, along with others, was reportedly placed on a detention bus, according to the broadcaster Der Haag FM.
Extinction Rebellion leaders took to social media to announce the commencement of arrests. In a determined post, they emphasized their unwavering commitment, stating that despite the repeated arrests, they will persist. Their demand, they asserted, is both fair and necessary: an immediate halt to all fossil fuel subsidies.
The group, along with its supporters in Belgium, will be organizing blockades on Saturday to demonstrate that the fossil industry and our governments are responsible for the global climate and ecological crisis through the provision of fossil fuel subsidies.
According to the activists’ pre-demonstration statement, companies like Shell, Tata Steel, and KLM benefit from substantial discounts on oil, gas, and coal usage in the Netherlands. They claim that these discounts amount to a staggering 39.7 to 46.4 billion euros per year in the country.
According to their statement, the IMF has allocated a sum of $7 trillion for 2022 on a global scale. They emphasize that this allocation serves to endorse and encourage the utilization of energy sources that do not contribute to the climate and ecological crisis.
Extinction Rebellion voiced their strong disapproval on Saturday, condemning the police’s consistent use of excessive force against our peaceful demonstrators.
