A section of the House of Representatives is critical of the arrest of Extinction Rebellion members. Yesterday, police arrested six climate activists from this movement on suspicion of hate speech. The six had called to go to a climate demonstration tomorrow and take part in the blockade of Utrechtsebaan in The Hague.
According to prosecutors, this will be a dangerous and devastating blockade. Six people were arrested yesterday morning and released in the afternoon, but a district ban was issued in Utrechtsebaan.
‘Tort’
Not only the left opposition parties, but also the ruling party D66, are criticizing the arrests. According to MP Dekker from that party, people were arrested before they did anything. “We live in a democratic country where you can perform anywhere, even unannounced, so I don’t think they’re doing anything wrong,” he told the NOS Radio 1 Journal.
There seems to be an unequal treatment of farmers and climate activists, according to party leader Teunissen of the Party for the Animals: “On the one hand, there cannot be a demonstration of police-supported tractors crossing the road. and peaceful ones. Demonstrators are arrested before they block a road. The right to demonstrate is at stake.”
GroenLinks raised parliamentary questions on this topic yesterday. According to MPs Ellemeet and Kröger, “preventive detention” contradicts the freedom to demonstrate. GroenLinks finds the behavior of the police scary.
VVD annoyed by criticism
Other parties support the actions of the prosecution and the police. MP Michon from the ruling party VVD said he would allow anyone to demonstrate on the radio. However, he stressed that the call of climate activists focuses on the occupation of public streets. “There is hate speech and it is a crime. I think it is very good that the public prosecutor’s office is taking action against it.”
Criticism that the prosecution will treat climate activists differently than it does towards farmers gives him “all the fear”. Michon: “Anyone who breaks the law will face the police and prosecutors. It has nothing to do with whether you are demonstrating as a farmer or for the climate.”
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
