Dutch Anti covid Measures Protest To Go Ahead Despite Police Strike
Tens of thousands of protestors marched through Amsterdam, calling for rapid action to address the climate catastrophe just 10 days before the country’s general election.
Around 70,000 people marched on Sunday, according to local police, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and former EU climate chief Frans Timmermans, who will lead the merged Labour and Green parties in the upcoming election. According to organizers, the turnout was the highest ever for a climate demonstration in the Netherlands.
Protesters, some wearing scuba diving gear to symbolize rising sea levels, and many holding posters that read “Cut the crap, scale back emissions!” and “Don’t like our Climate March? “Try living on Mars,” they sang, chanted, and blew whistles as they marched 3.5 kilometers through Amsterdam.
The Netherlands goes to the polls on November 22, following an election campaign dominated by discussions about migration and rising living costs. According to recent polls, most individuals prioritize other matters over climate change.
Timmermans’ alliance has made climate change one of its key priorities, and it is presently polling third, trailing two conservative parties that lay a greater focus on the need to prevent migration. A protester took the microphone from Thunberg during her speech in Amsterdam’s Museum Square, accusing her of turning the march into a political event.
Thunberg had given the microphone to a Palestinian peace activist whose earlier statement had been cut short by organizers because she used the contentious phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
After regaining control of the microphone, Thunberg repeatedly screamed “No climate justice on occupied land,” according to social media recordings.
