Getting Soaked to Save the Planet

Yesterday afternoon Extinction Rebellion climate protesters blocked a highway tunnel in The Hague, in the Netherlands. Police deployed water cannons and soaked the activists in an attempt to dissuade them. An estimated 700 people were arrested.

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for translating this video report, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

The following excerpts from an article in the NL Times (hat tip Reader from Chicago) provide details on the yesterday’s Extinction Rebellion action:

700 climate activists arrested at XR demonstration on A12 in The Hague, 4 activists became unwell

About 700 climate activists were arrested on Saturday at the Extinction Rebellion demonstration on the A12 highway in The Hague, according to the police. Two people were also arrested at the farmers’ demonstration in Zuiderpark in The Hague.

The climate activists occupied the beginning of the Utrechtsebaan since noon. The police called for them to leave. Before they could enter the tunnel, they were stopped by the police. The climate activists then began a sit-in blockade. According to the police, they asked the activists several times to stop their action and leave the tunnel.

From 4 p.m., the officers actively appealed to the endangered people to leave the place. To further “discourage” the demonstration, water cannons were used after 5 p.m. With these, the demonstrators were sprayed with water. According to the police, the activists were changed into dry clothes after arriving at the police station.

However, a XR spokesperson denied that the protesters were given dry clothes by the police. As a result, many people ended up outside in wet clothes, the activist group said.

Furthermore, four Extinction Rebellion activists became unwell in The Hague on Saturday. The municipality said that they were at the blockade on the A12 and at the station in The Hague. The demonstrators were helped by the ambulance service.

Video transcript:

00:01   On Saturday the police deployed several water cannons
00:04   in order to vacate the blockade of the A12 by Malieveld.
00:09   Climate activists tried to block the way for the water cannons.
00:18   Despite several appeals from the police and the local authorities,
00:21   the activists continued to block the way.
00:24   The local authorities have proclaimed GRIP 1 [regional coordinated emergency procedure]
00:27   because cooperation from different emergency services is required.
 

5 thoughts on “Getting Soaked to Save the Planet

  1. Wet clothes – where is the problem?
    Since there is this extreme global warming, they should be dry in no time.

  2. There are two liquids I would have them soaked with.
    a) manure, you know what leaves the back hole of humans and animals
    b) liquid oxygen

  3. When we sprayed chemicals on the golf course, we would put 5% dye in the mix. It often took a couple of days to wash out if it got on your skin. I suggest spraying these freaks with a 10%-15% mix.

    • Should put some soap in the water they are spraying them with. If those losers are anything like the American variety, a little soap and water would make them much less offensive to the nostrils of whatever unfortunate crosses their path.

      I wouldn’t have used water though. If I was dictator they would have been flambe’d with one of those Churchill Crocodile tanks.

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