Activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) are blocking the A12 near The Hague today. They demand that the Dutch government no longer subsidizes the fossil sector with billions of euros. Together with parent organization Cordaid, we fully support the demands of these activists and will be present at the protest.
In principle, the action falls under the protection of the right to demonstrate, especially now that the demonstration has been announced and the demonstrators themselves are taking precautions to prevent dangerous situations. The government should also facilitate such demonstrations. But in recent days several people have been arrested and the homes of activists allegedly involved in the preparation of the action have been searched. People who had placed calls to participate in the demonstration were also met by the police.
“Kees Zevenbergen, Director of Cordaid: Cordaid normally makes every effort to ensure that activists in the countries where we are active can make their voices heard. I did not think that we would also have to work hard for this in the Netherlands. But our concerns are in the has increased in the past period and are widely shared by civil society organizations. That is why we now show our solidarity with the peaceful demonstrators who want to make their important message heard in politics and society.”
Naturally, we also support the message of the demonstration – tackling the climate crisis with great urgency – because as Cordaid and FairClimateFund we see the consequences of climate change already in many places. The most vulnerable are particularly hit hard by flooding, drought and hunger, among other things. Extinction Rebellion rightly demands that the Dutch government abolish subsidies to oil and gas companies and do everything in its power to prevent further global warming and for a livable planet.
But in this case we express our solidarity mainly because we are very concerned about the restriction of fundamental rights in the Netherlands. Organizing and participating in civil disobedience actions falls under the right to demonstrate. Calling a call to participate in this “incitement” is not only unjustified, it is also an attempt to negatively influence and criminalize the social debate about peaceful action. Demonstrating is a right, not a favor. The direction that the government now seems to be taking only puts relations in society on edge and does not benefit anyone.
Article Cordaid: https://www.cordaid.org/nl/nieuws/cordaid-zeer-bezorgd-over-uitholling-grondrechten-in-nederland
