Hundreds of climate activists were arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Saturday after breaking down fences and occupying a parking area for private planes.
The protesters, many dressed in white overalls and some on bicycles, took to the tarmac before taking their seats in front of at least 14 private planes. There was also a Royal Canadian Air Force C-130 transporter on that tarmac.
“Absolutely no need” for private jets and short flights
Chanting slogans such as “Down with flights” or “Schiphol pollutes the environment”, these activists from the NGOs Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion walked around the track, to the applause of the spectators on the other side of the fences.
“Today’s action means that Schiphol airport must reduce its emissions, there must be fewer flights,” said Faiza Oulahsen, spokesperson for Greenpeace Netherlands.
“We start with flights that we don’t need at all, like private jets and short flights.”
Hundreds of activists arrested
About three hours after the runway invasion began, Dutch border police began arresting activists, some of whom were dragged onto buses after passively resisting.
“We take this very seriously. These people are in a place where they shouldn’t have been,” said their spokesman, Maj. Robert van Kapel.
For Greenpeace, the police were “too hard on the activists on bicycles” and at least one person was hit in the head.
The action came on the eve of the opening Sunday in Egypt of COP27, the UN climate summit. Air pollution “is something they need to talk about,” said Tessel Hofstede, a spokeswoman for Extinction Rebellion.
Source: BFM TV
