Greta Thunberg is taken away by police as they fire water cannon at demonstrators protesting against fossil fuels in the Netherlands
Greta Thunberg has been taken away by police as they fired a water cannon at demonstrators protesting against fossil fuels in the Netherlands.
The Swedish climate activist protested alongside members of Extinction Rebellion (XR) as they blocked a busy junction leading onto a motorway in The Hague today.
Footage shows Thunberg and others being sprayed with water after police deployed a cannon before removing the group of about 50 demonstrators.
More XR activists also blocked another road, near the building of the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, as well as a lane on the local motorway.
The climate group had planned another protest in The Hague for tomorrow, but cancelled it due to the heavy gusts of wind forecast for the morning.
Greta Thunberg has been taken away by police as they fired a water cannon at demonstrators protesting against fossil fuels in the Netherlands
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (C) is carried away by police as she block the entrance to the A12 with protesters from Extinction Rebellion, in The Hague, on July 6, 2024
The climate group had planned another protest in The Hague for tomorrow, but cancelled it due to the heavy gusts of wind forecast for the morning
Earlier this week, XR had also blocked the road adjacent to the House of Representatives while a new cabinet was sworn in.
XR said in a statement following their blockage: 'The new government's plans are not only disastrous for climate policy, but also in many other areas. Whether it concerns asylum and migration, housing or protecting the rights of marginalised groups.'
Today's protest comes after it was revealed that climate activists in the US and Europe are planning a summer of stunts with demonstrations at airports, banks and the Olympic Games in Paris.
But Extinction Rebellion, once notorious for shutting down bridges over the Thames River in London, have shifted their main focus from mass civil disobedience to building an inclusive grassroots movement.
This summer, they are calling on governments in the UK and France to establish citizen assemblies on climate and nature, while picketing the companies insuring the fossil fuel industry.
Gail Bradbrook, XR's co-founder, told AFP their new-look approach to climate activism strived 'to reach more mainstream folks' and do 'the deeper work of local organising'.
But Gabriella Ditton, a spokesperson for the group, said the arrests hadn't deterred them. 'While we face the massive crisis that we are in, we can't stop,' she told AFP.
Organisers in France say this could last several days but would be 'more visible than disruptive', but have not offered further planning details.
