Greta Thunberg arrested at Dutch climate protest on A12 motorway

Greta Thunberg is one of the most prominent faces of the climate movement in the world. The 21-year-old activist gained fame by protesting outside the Swedish parliament building. She demanded that her country's government make more significant efforts to prevent climate change from human activities. Since then, she has spoken at the UN and received the title of Person of the Year from "Time" magazine.

The young activist has confronted law enforcement multiple times during protests. Police have arrested her in the United Kingdom, Norway, and Germany, among other places. This time, the Swedish activist clashed with authorities in The Hague, where the seat of the Dutch government is located. The city is bisected by the A12 motorway, which has long been a venue for actions by activists from Extinction Rebellion.

Extinction Rebellion activists blocked a critical route, expressing their opposition to including politicians who question climate change in the new government. Police dispersed the activists using water cannons. Footage from the scene shows Greta Thunberg being dragged by police officers to a bus.

This is not the Swedish activist's first arrest at that location. She previously participated in a protest on the A12 motorway in April this year, when she was also briefly detained. Members of Extinction Rebellion have repeatedly managed to block the critical route. Police transported them on buses to different parts of the city before releasing them.

The Dutch branch of Extinction Rebellion commented on the protest on social media. Activists assured that they would continue the blockades. In a post on platform X, the activists criticised government members—the Minister of Asylum and Migration Affairs, Marjolein Faber and Minister of Infrastructure Barry Madlener. Faber had denied that humans are responsible for climate change, while Madlener became known for his xenophobic statements.