Police in the Netherlands detained around 1500 climate protestors after they blocked a key motorway near The Hague.
Extinction Rebellion activists went to the A12 highway during the demonstration to demand an end to fossil fuel subsidies.
Police used water cannons to disperse the crowds, but many people came prepared with raincoats and swimsuits.
The majority of those arrested were freed, but police indicated 40 would face charges.
Several Dutch celebrities attended Saturday’s demonstration, including actress Carice van Houten, well known for her role as Melisandre in the HBO series Game of Thrones. According to the Dutch news agency ANP, she was arrested but eventually permitted to return home.
The Disappearance Rebellion said that police deployed water cannons barely 15 minutes after the blockage began, although police claimed that they had requested the demonstrators to leave and given them an opportunity to do so before using the water cannon.
Following then, 1579 persons who refused to leave were detained.
According to the local news site De Telegraaf, several of those persons were picked up and placed aboard buses.
The majority of them would not be charged, according to Dutch prosecutors, because it was a “minor offence” and the main objective of the arrests was to remove the blockage.
The arrests were made within a few hours, and the road was cleared by Saturday evening.
According to Extinction Rebellion, at least 6,000 people marched on or near the A12, including a “A12 orchestra” comprising over 80 musicians.
Extinction Rebellion demonstrators have stopped the A12 for the eighth time. According to the mayor’s bylaws, protesting on this roadway is illegal.
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