Extinction Rebellion activists blocked the small ring road in Ghent on Saturday afternoon. About 120 activists invaded the lanes and brought car traffic to a standstill to protest against subsidies for fossil fuels. Two people were arrested at the end of the action, according to the Ghent police.
The climate activists first gathered on Saturday morning near the SMAK, the city of Ghent’s museum of contemporary art. They then started a “civil disobedience march” to express their exasperation with the subsidies given by the Flemish and federal governments to fossil fuels. “Belgium has granted €13 billion in subsidies or tax benefits to fossil fuels in 2019. This has to stop,” denounced Extinction Rebellion.
A group of about 100 protesters then headed for the small ring road in Ghent, where they first blocked the intersection formed by the Charles de Kerckhovelaan and the Kunstlaan before continuing their march and blocking other intersections. The police were present in numbers.
13 billion euros. That's at least how much tax money our governments pump into the fossil industry each year! Imagine what could be achieved if invested in public transport, child care, and insulating houses.#ActNow #StopFossilFuels#XrGent #Gent Source https://t.co/FjiGn1XHlh pic.twitter.com/wRWrrrGaHN
— Extinction Rebellion Belgium (@XR_Belgium) February 18, 2023
Two people were arrested at the end of the demonstration, as they continued to block a crossroads despite the end of the action. For the rest, the demonstration went on without incident, according to the police.
