The activists brandished signs with sayings like “Fossil Fuel Subsidies are Not Cool,” and warned that the extreme temperatures seen around the world this summer are a sign of the future if fossil fuels aren't abandoned. / Photo: AP
The protesters — from Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace and other organisations — broke through a police barrier on Saturday and sat on a main road in The Hague heading to the temporary venue for the lower house of parliament. The activists brandished signs with sayings like “Fossil Fuel Subsidies are Not Cool,” and warned that the extreme temperatures seen around the world this summer are a sign of the future if fossil fuels aren't abandoned.
A report published on Monday said the Dutch government spends around $40.5 billion per year in subsidies to industries that use fossil fuels — notably the powerful shipping industry. The report was published by the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, known as SOMO, the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth and Oil Change International.