Greta Thunberg, the well-known climate advocate from Sweden, was one among many others who were apprehended by law enforcement in The Hague as the police intervened to disperse protestors obstructing a thoroughfare in the Dutch community.
Detained alongside other demonstrators, Thunberg was observed making a victory symbol while being transported away from the protest site in a police vehicle. The protest targeted the economic benefits, including tax cuts and subsidies, given to businesses associated with the fossil fuel sector.
The Extinction Rebellion advocacy group had earlier stated that their members would obstruct a central road into The Hague. However, a robust police presence, with officers also on horseback, primarily confined the activists from reaching the road.
A handful of individuals managed to stage a sit-in on an alternative route and were apprehended for neglecting police orders to disperse. Extinction Rebellion activists have staged over 30 instances of road blockades adjacent to the transitory location of the Dutch parliament in protest against these subsidies.
The protestors voiced their demands by waving flags and shouting chants such as “We are unstoppable, another world is possible.” One protestor displayed a banner stating “This is a dead end street.”
Earlier in February, Thunberg, aged 21, was cleared by a London court for disregarding a police directive to vacate a demonstration blocking entrance to a significant oil and gas industry conference the preceding year.
Her advocacy efforts have spurred a worldwide youth activism calling for increased action against climate change, since she initially commenced weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament in 2018. Thunberg has faced numerous fines in Sweden and the UK for civil disobedience related to these protests. – AP