Why Block the Road? Reflections on My Participation in Extinction Rebellion.
Our reporter Romy van Baarsen reflects on her participation with Extinction Rebellion and the experiences of activists striving to make a difference. She shares her personal experience and reflections from when she joined Extinction Rebellion's monumental A12 highway blockade in The Hague, when she stood among thousands, driven by a shared pain for our planet.
After 27 days of A12 blockade and more than 9,000 arrests, the blockade sparked a political shift, forcing discussions on fossil subsidies into the limelight. Romy delves into the nuances of nonviolent protest, the shared pain that motivates climate activists, and the impact of their tireless efforts.
Romy with her protest sign at the Extinction Rebellion protest last September.The nuances of nonviolent protest.
Last September, on a sweltering Saturday, I joined Extinction Rebellion for the first time to block the A12 highway in the Hague, Netherlands. Despite having undergone training with Extinction Rebellion to prepare for the action, I felt an underlying tension on my way to get there.
During that training, the emphasis on nonviolence was explained, along with its principles. There was also a discussion on the nuances of nonviolence and how different people define their boundaries. We practiced how to respond if arrests were announced during a protest. The trainers emphasized that you always have the choice to be arrested or to leave. Then, there's the choice to either sit passively and be taken away by the police or to walk with them when they arrest you. This was physically practiced with actors during the training.
“I believe many who ultimately decided to participate, just like me, did not make this choice lightly. They questioned whether blocking a busy highway was the right strategy. They reflected on the possibility that this form of activism might create more division than unity and wondered about alternative approaches considering the time and energy that police officers spent restoring traffic flow. These inner debates are seldom depicted. ”
Some of my family members expressed their lack of understanding about my participation in such a blockade. They viewed it as a kind of rebellious festival and a waste of tax money. They seemed to think that the people involved enjoyed inconveniencing others and had nothing better to do on a free day with a heat index of 40 degrees.
Yet, I could understand the stigma to some extent because Extinction Rebellion participants refer to themselves as "rebels" and are often portrayed as fearless in the media. However, I believe many who ultimately decided to participate, just like me, did not make this choice lightly. They questioned whether blocking a busy highway was the right strategy. They reflected on the possibility that this form of activism might create more division than unity and wondered about alternative approaches considering the time and energy that police officers spent restoring traffic flow. These inner debates are seldom depicted.
My nerves were likely fueled by this inner doubt. I have participated in protests without issues many times before, nonetheless this action felt like a step up on the ladder of nonviolence. Was there not a risk of chaos on such a busy highway? Would I still have the freedom to make my own choices? My concern was not so much about the arrest itself but rather stemmed from a deep-seated desire for freedom and a certain aversion to authority. The mere thought of strangers grabbing me, urging me to join, and the prospect of losing all control in that moment, with no ability to object, fills me with dread.
Fortunately, my concerns proved unfounded. The entire action was organized and orderly. The police provided three warnings before arrests began. Courageous activists sat down in front. As they were being arrested, others cheered them on loudly, saying, "You are not alone, you are not alone." It sent shivers down my spine.
The moment the police started clearing the A12 blockade. The police provided three warnings before arrests began. Courageous activists sat down in front. As they were being arrested, others cheered them on loudly, saying, "You are not alone, you are not alone."We’re all the butter.
Seeing those arrests left a deep impression on me. I had never seen so many people arrested with force and water cannons. I was completely exhausted when I returned home, although I wasn’t exactly sure why. It was an elusive feeling until I watched a TED talk by Otto Scharmer titled 'Theory U - Learning from the future as it emerges.' [1]
In the introduction to his presentation, Scharmer recounts an illegal protest against a power plant, attended by around 100,000 people, which initially proceeded peacefully. However, the police attacked the group. The police started beating the crowd. At that moment, Scharmer said he felt like butter that was being cut through by a knife. Even though he was not one of the persons physically attacked, he felt like the butter. He says, " You are the butter, I am the butter, we are all the butter."
This experience changed Scharmer's life because it was the first time he had a tangible experience of feeling part of a collective body, a shared feeling that goes beyond his physical self, a sense of connectedness. This sentiment may be comparable to what some experience when making music together or attending a concert. The same feeling can arise when we resonate with what is happening in the Middle East right now.
In the latter, you feel a pain that is not your personal pain, yet it is: a personal pain that we all share due to our collective situation, in the context of our shared existence on this planet. When I watched that TED talk, it suddenly became clear to me: that was why seeing those arrests made such an impact on me, and at the same time, it was also precisely why, despite my doubts, I decided to stand on the A12.
“That shared pain is driving climate activists to tirelessly devote themselves to their great love, our planet. For those outside these circles, it might seem effortless, but those familiar with their world know that these people are using their skills to demand change everywhere, often voluntarily and at their own expense. ”
The motivation that drives activists.
Last year I participated in COP27, the United Nations Climate Conference. I had the privilege of interviewing various activists, ranging from young to old, each with compelling stories and admirable resilience. One of them was Hamado, a farmer from Burkina Faso. He shared with me how his crops were failing more and more due to drought, and his livestock was dying. When I looked into his eyes, I couldn't hold back my tears. These stories had embedded themselves deep within me.
Martine Doppen, a dedicated campaigner at Reclame Fossielvrij who I also met during COP27 highlights this pain as the motivation that drives activists fighting against the system, despites the inner doubts. "We realize that the world needs to slow down to address the root of the problem, but at the same time, climate activists feel an urgent need to urgently dismantle that same system. Perhaps we need to look at ourselves and our surroundings in an entirely new way. As Audrey Lorde once said, 'The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house.' However, we are still struggling with how to approach this differently, especially since Western science warns of a global tipping point in seven years if we do not rapidly part ways with fossil fuels. And everyone feels that deeply."
That shared pain is driving climate activists to tirelessly devote themselves to their great love, our planet. For those outside these circles, it might seem effortless, but those familiar with their world know that these people are using their skills to demand change everywhere, often voluntarily and at their own expense.
At the climate conference, this unequal balance was clearly felt: 600 lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry versus 300 indigenous representatives, who are ultimately affected by the issue. Activists were not even allowed to mention the word "Shell" because it would cost them their access passes. The fact that Coca-Cola, one of the world's biggest plastic polluters, was the main sponsor of the event where world leaders come together to find solutions for the most significant issue of our time undermines trust in global institutions and governments to effectively address climate change.
This kind of mistrust has led people to block the freeway: on the first day of the A12 blockade, 25,000 people attended, out of frustration with their government that keeps on supporting the fossil fuel industry. While the government initially claimed it was about 4.5 billion euros annually, Amsterdam-based researchers revealed just a few days before the blockade that the government's fossil fuel subsidies actually reached much higher figures, at least 37.5 billion euros per year. [2]
Hamado Rabo, Co-founder Saheilian Youth Connect for Climate change at COP27.
The impact of illegal roadblocks.
According to Otto Scharmer, today's crises arise from three fundamental separations: the ecological gap, stemming from the disconnection between humans and nature; the social gap, created by the rupture between the individual and others; and the spiritual gap, arising from a separation within ourselves. Scharmer illustrates these ruptures with concrete figures: our consumption of natural resources is 1.5 times faster, eight individuals possess as much wealth as 3.8 billion others, and there are 800,000 suicides annually worldwide. The climate crisis impacts all of these aspects.
Extinction Rebellion had announced their intention to return to the freeway daily until concrete political steps were taken. They kept their word: a total of 27 days of blockades on the A12 highway resulted in over 9,000 arrests. Last month the outgoing cabinet is requested to 'draw up scenarios for phasing out the various fossil subsidies (over the term of two, five and seven years)' and to share it with the House of Representatives before the Christmas recess. Extinction Rebellion is claiming these steps are taken because of them and have ceased its blockades. Tessel Hofstede, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, emphasizes: "The A12 blockades have set society in motion and led to changing perspectives regarding fossil fuel subsidies. This societal shift has now translated into politics. We are proud of everyone who contributed, both during the blockades and beyond. We will closely monitor what happens next and are prepared to carry out many more actions if the politics fall short."
Nevertheless CDA (Christian Party in the Netherlands) member Boswijk dismissed Extinction Rebellion's role in this motion, claiming it's unfair, but he isn’t surprised by it given the group's highway-blocking tactics. On the other hand, political reporter Marieke van de Zilver contends that while fossil subsidies won't vanish overnight, Extinction Rebellion's protests significantly raised awareness and pushed the issue onto the political agenda. According to her these demonstrations and ensuing discussions pressured other major political parties to discuss a swift phase-out of fossil subsidies. Although the motion has not yet led to the complete abolition of these subsidies, its significance cannot be underestimated.
The concept of illegal roadblocks did not come out of nowhere. Without such actions, there would be no bike paths in the Netherlands. In 1978, approximately 15,000 demonstrators gathered in Amsterdam for a sit-in with bikes on Museumplein, which quickly turned into a massive protest march through the city. These demonstrations symbolized the defense of a small-scale urban environment, healthy urban air quality, and the right to cycle and walk without being dependent on cars. The movement laid the foundation for enshrining the right to cycle and walk in Dutch law, something that is now considered self-evident. Perhaps, in time, my initially skeptical family members may come to see those crazy rebels who organized a 27-day road blockade in 2023 for the sake of our planet's livability in a different way.
