Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion protesters wave banners outside The Hague saying it is ‘a dead end’

Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion protestors waved banners outside The Hague and declared ‘this is a dead end’ as they blocked the road near Dutch parliament.

In their latest climate change stunt, the protestors waved coloured flags adorned with the Extinction Rebellion symbol as they gathered on the A12. 

About an hour after the blockade began, officers started arresting demonstrators who refused to leave the road. 

Earlier this week six Extinction Rebellion activists were detained by authorities on suspicion of sedition linked to calls to stage the protest. 

Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion protestors waved banners outside The Hague declaring ‘this is a dead end’ as they blocked the road near Dutch parliament

Officers began arresting demonstrators who refused to leave the road. Activists were cut loose after they chained themselves to one another 

A judge on Friday upheld an order banning another activist from the area for 90 days.

But the arrests and exclusion order sparked unrest among activists, who argued it infringes their right to peaceful protest. 

Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Anne Kervers said the large number of participants ‘shows what society thinks of fossil fuel subsidies and of the intimidation and criminalization of nonviolent climate activism’. 

Prosecutors defended their actions, saying the suspects were calling for supporters to take part in the ‘dangerous and disruptive blockade’ of the road. 

The arrests sparked unrest among activists, who argued it infringes their right to peaceful protest

Other activists joined the protest which blocked the road out of solidarity

‘Calling for a criminal offense – such as blocking a public road – amounts to sedition,’ prosecutors said in a statement. 

They said that the blockade of the busy road leading into The Hague was a danger to motorists and protesters. 

‘Demonstrating is a fundamental right and is facilitated by the municipality of The Hague,’ prosecutors said. 

‘There are hundreds of demonstrations in The Hague every year that go off without a hitch. But a demonstration is not a license to commit criminal offenses.’ 

‘Calling for a criminal offense – such as blocking a public road – amounts to sedition,’ prosecutors said in a statement 

Extinction Rebellion activists, however, vowed to continue with the protests – in which they demand an end to government tax breaks for companies linked to fossil fuels. 

‘It is essential that citizens can demonstrate against this in a place that matters. For Extinction Rebellion, this includes the A12, between the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate,’ the group said in a statement.

‘Any nuisance for traffic, for example, will have to be tolerated.’ 

Other activists joined the protest out of solidarity. 

‘We are very concerned that the right to protest is being increasingly restricted in the Netherlands. We stand firmly behind peaceful activists who exercise their right to protest,’ Andy Palmen, of the Dutch arm of Greenpeace, said in a statement ahead of the demonstration.