Sixty soldiers were called out to the Hague on Thursday night to contain a farmers' demonstration. "They will remain in position as long as necessary," said a spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Defence.
The farmers, gathered under the banner of the Farmers defence force, took their tractors to Binnenhof, the political heart of the Netherlands. They opposed the government's plans to reduce nitrogen emissions, a point still being debated on the eve of the summer recess of the Second Chamber (lower house) of Parliament.
During a previous mobilisation of farmers, the army had also been requisitioned to drive lorries to the Parliament building, as the local police did not have such vehicles themselves.
The Brussels Times
