“It has been a long day,” says Willem Woelders, head of operations at the National Unit. “Farmers started moving from 2 a.m. last night from all corners in the Netherlands until actually the end of the day.”
Thousands of farmers went to Stroe in the municipality of Barneveld to protest against the government’s nitrogen plans. According to the plan, nitrogen emissions in the Gelderse Vallei, North Brabant and Limburg must be reduced by more than half.
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Barneveld satisfied
Despite concerns in advance, the municipality of Barneveld can look back on a successful farmers’ protest day, says mayor Jan Luteijn. According to Luteijn, there were no major incidents. He speaks of a ‘relatively quiet course’.
The campaign was preceded by an ‘intensive week of preparations involving several parties’. On Monday, Luteijn gave permission for the demonstration. In and around Stroe, the municipality imposed an alcohol ban and conditions in the field of road safety and public order had to be met. The municipality said it was prepared for a ‘hectic demonstration day’.
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Hundreds of tractors
Despite the police’s announcement to take strict action, hundreds of tractors were driving on the highways in various places this morning and tonight. Rijkswaterstaat called on road users on their journey. Woelders is not pleased with the farmers who have taken to the highways en masse.
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“There are two sides to the coin,” he says. “On the one hand, we have had good contact with the farmers’ organizations and were able to make agreements. On the other hand, they have created dangerous situations on the road. We then had to take action against this. In hindsight, that just wasn’t good.”
Police action
The question is whether the police could and should have acted better. Woelders: “We communicated extensively that it is not permitted by law to use tractors on the road. It is simply dangerous. But we have the impression that the farmers have agreed together that they would do it.”
Knowing that, the police have tried to stop the farmers at various points. “Some groups succeeded,” says Woelders. “But a number of them just drove around us. So go, through the verge onto the highway. Then the decision is: what are you going to do? Because if you stop them now, you will get huge congestion. In the context of road safety, we have that didn’t.”
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It is difficult to stop such a massive farmers’ protest at all, says Woelders. “If it is so massive, you cannot solve it with repression. You will then have to consult with the farmers up front. We have to make even better agreements about how things should go and the farmers must then better adhere to that. ”
14 arrests
Also during the evening rush hour, highways were blocked in several places in the Netherlands, including on the A6 at Emmeloord in the Noordoostpolder. “We received information that there would be a blockade on the Ketelbrug, an important connection to the north of the Netherlands. Both from the water with boats and on the highway with tractors,” says Woelders. “We were able to stop those boats. That led to fourteen arrests of people who resisted.”
Three occupants of a tractor were also injured in a collision with a truck on the A12 near Ede. The police are investigating further.
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In addition to the fourteen arrests, no arrests were made in the farmer’s protest. However, ‘several hundred’ official reports have been written, says Woelders. He doesn’t think things got out of hand today. “It could have been much worse. Contact with the farmers was good, they were able to get their message across. But driving on the highway remains dangerous. As far as we’re concerned, that can never be discussed.”
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