The police in The Hague have confiscated a number of tractors. An emergency order is in force in the city this Budget Day, but dozens of farmers did not comply with it and tried to drive into the center with tractors. They protest against the government’s nitrogen plans.
Images show that tractors have been placed on trailers at the Schenk Viaduct and are being removed. Farmers with tractors have also been stopped in other places in and around The Hague. For example, dozens of farmers have parked their tractors with protest signs on a roadside in Rijswijk.
Defense was deployed to remove tractors in The Hague.
No one has been arrested in the actions, police said. The owners of the seized tractors may receive a ticket. It is not clear where the tractors were taken and when they can be picked up again; probably the public prosecutor will decide on that.
Mayor Van Zanen emphasizes that farmers are allowed to protest in The Hague. “But not with heavy equipment,” he says. “I am confident it will be a happy, calm day celebrating democracy.”
Because there were already reports that farmers wanted to disrupt public order and safety in The Hague with tractors on Budget Day, the emergency order was issued. Minister Yesilgöz also calls on farmers not to come to the city with tractors.
Aan de boeren die onderweg zijn naar Den Haag; laat de trekker thuis!! Demonstreren mag, maar niet met grote voertuigen. Trekkers worden in beslag genomen door de politie. Denk aan de veiligheid van alle mensen die vandaag naar Prinsjesdag komen. https://t.co/YKH7AL3Jrm
— Dilan Yesilgöz – Zegerius (@DilanYesilgoz) September 20, 2022
According to action group Agractie, about a hundred trekkers are standing along the route of the Prinsjesdag driving tour to protest. A spokesperson, who says it is not a coordinated action, “assumes” that the farmers have consulted with the police or the municipality.
There are already many extra safety measures in the city today, now that the public is welcome again at Prinsjesdag. That was not allowed in previous editions due to the corona rules.
Farmers’ action group Farmers Defense Force reacts furiously to the emergency order. “The emergency order is gradually becoming the thousand-things cloth of governments to thwart and limit every form of democratic protest,” said spokeswoman Sieta van Keimpema.
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