Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested on Saturday during a protest against fossil fuel subsidies in The Hague, Netherlands.
The 21-year-old joined hundreds of demonstrators, including the group Extinction Rebellion, marching to denounce the Dutch government’s tax benefits for companies like Shell and KLM airline tied to the fossil fuel industry.
As protesters attempted to block a major highway, Dutch police in riot gear moved in, some on horseback, to stop them. Greta Thunberg was among a small group who managed to reach the A12 highway before being detained.
Video footage obtained from Reuters showed the famed activist being carried by police officers and placed on a bus along with other arrested protesters who refused to clear the road.
The demonstration aimed to ramp up pressure on the government ahead of a June debate about ending fossil fuel subsidies. Regular highway blockades have occurred in The Hague since 2022 to protest the tax breaks.
“It’s important to demonstrate today because we are living in a state of planetary emergency,” Thunberg told AFP before her arrest. “We must do everything to avoid that crisis and to save human lives.”
After initially being taken away, reports emerged that Greta Thunberg returned to the protest site later in the day and was arrested a second time as police worked to clear the remaining demonstrators.
Local police confirmed to the BBC that all protesters who were bused away were formally arrested for the illegal act of blocking the major highway. However, those arrested at previous protests were typically released without charges.
The young Swede, who sparked the “Fridays for Future” student strike movement, has been a leading voice calling for urgent action to combat climate change since 2018. She was recently cleared of charges related to her involvement in a separate London protest.