104 climate activists arrested after blocking Dutch Eindhoven airport

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Mar 2023 10:17
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Activists in the Netherlands' Eindhoven airportattempt to block the entrance to private jets, which emit more greenhouse gases than any regular airplane.

The activists protesting at Eindhoven Airport on March 25, 2023. (Twitter/Scientist Rebellion Netherlands)

Dutch police confirmed on Sunday that more than 100 environmental activists are in detention following their protests at the airport in the city of Eindhoven.

The national police posted on Twitter on Saturday, "The demonstration at Eindhoven Airport has ended. The [Royal Netherlands] Marechaussee and Police have arrested 104 people."

De demonstratie op Eindhoven Airport is afgelopen. De Marechaussee en Politie hebben 104 personen aangehouden. #demonstratiexr
— Koninklijke Marechaussee (@Marechaussee) March 25, 2023

Members of the Scientist Rebellion and Extinction Rebellion groups blocked the entrance made for private jet departures at the Eindhoven Airport, in an attempt to call for a ban on private jets as they give off greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions more than a regular commercial plane.

Eindhoven airport released a statement expressing in response "that aviation, like other sectors, needs to (quickly) become more sustainable."

"We also feel that sense of urgency. It is partly for this reason that we are not pursuing growth for our air traffic, and instead are prioritizing the sustainability of existing air traffic," the airport said on its website.

Just this month, approximately 700 climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion group demonstrated against state subsidies for mining and were detained by police in The Hague as a result of blocking one of the main highways, the A12.

Europe's climate activism campaigns have been increasing amid calls for more sustainable policy agendas - especially that growing global temperatures could cost Europe's largest economy up to 910 billion euros ($979 billion) in a "strong" scenario without any adaptation measures, according to a German report this month.