Dutch police said Saturday night they had made more than 1,500 arrests during an action by the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion in The Hague to protest fossil fuel subsidies. "A total of 1,579 people were arrested, of whom 40 will be prosecuted," including for vandalism and insult, said police, who used water cannons to disperse activists blocking a major road in the city.
One of the activists bit a police officer during his arrest, police said. Activists blocked the Utrechtsebaan section of the A12 motorway in central The Hague during the afternoon. It was the seventh action organised by Extinction Rebellion on this stretch, but never before had so many people been arrested, according to Dutch news agency ANP.
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A similar action on March 11 led to the arrest of nearly 700 activists, according to the same source. Several Dutch celebrities participated in these actions. On Saturday, actress Carice Van Houten, 46, best known for her role as Melisandre in the series "Game of Thrones", was part of the group of activists. She was arrested but according to her agent, she was able to return home in the evening, the ANP reported. In a video she posted on Instagram, the actress is seen wearing a red poncho, wet from water cannons.
