Reports claim Dutch police have also opened fire on the crowds
Dutch farmers are spraying sh*t on government buildings in protest against the current leadership and new measures that are forcing the industry to roll back operations and shut some businesses entirely.
As a result, the nation’s farmers have been organising mass protests across the region, obstructing supermarkets, airport terminals, and distribution centres, as well as closing down some roads and motorways entirely with large-scale blockades.
Oh, and as mentioned, they’ve also been spraying liquid manure all over government property:
Netherlands 🇳🇱
The Dutch farmers have had enough.
They are spreading manure on government buildings and blocking the highways with tractors.pic.twitter.com/hnUTu6kaGJ
— James Melville 🚜 (@JamesMelville) July 4, 2022
The government recently announced plans for a £22bn programme to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia – the primary gasses produced by livestock – across the Netherlands by 2030.
While the environmental motivation behind the move is obviously being encouraged, the emission targets and livestock cuts, specifically, are being deemed far too harsh, with cuts reaching from 30-70 in many areas. Around nature reserves, the figures are closer to 95 per cent, meaning some farms will close entirely as they simply would be unable to comply.
In response to the proposals, thousands across the country have been marching on government buildings and occupying territory in surrounding areas and along main roads. The turnout from those in and outside the industry has been quite noticeable.
https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1544316891547574274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1544316891547574274%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php
Recent reports have confirmed that Dutch police have opened fire on tractor-riding farmers participating in the protests, several of which began on Tuesday evening in the north of the country.
Friesland Police say they were responding to a “threatening situation” when the farmers, who were attempting to push past a blockade to get onto a highway in the province, started to drive their tractors towards officers and their vehicles. Footage of large crowds shared online also claims that a young boy was shot during an incident in the city of Leeuwarden.
Dutch citizens and farmers at Leeuwarden police station to bring home the underage boy whom Mark Rutte's police shot and then arrested last night. The majority of the Dutch support the farmers' protest. pic.twitter.com/lQiAJh1mZO
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) July 6, 2022
Local authorities have confessed that shots were fired and did hit tractors but insisted that no one was injured. Three suspects were arrested at the scene and Rijksrecherche (the Dutch government’s internal investigator) said it will look into the events and determine whether officers should have discharged their weapons.
Nevertheless, it would seem that their protesting is proving effective so far, as images of empty supermarket shelves are circulating on social media and demonstrators state they have no intention of stopping.
Dutch supermarkets today. No farms, no food. Dutch farmers wins. pic.twitter.com/HFxUOdcN3D
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) July 5, 2022
Moreover, people on social media have been inspired by the surreal scenes across the country, with many noting the current moment as a reminder that there are ways to protest against politicians and those with money and power other than simply standing with a placard and chanting.
Again, spraying sh*t all over their gaff is one way to do it.
https://twitter.com/Gritty20202/status/1544697783374020609?s=20&t=EdrZvh623sZOe2sF0uZ0ig
Dutch farmers are being treated appallingly by their political masters, being forced to kill their livestock and close their farms in order to 'slash emissions' (incl. ammonia in urine and faeces). Honestly, this is the sort of thing of which revolutions are made. https://t.co/XpmQnBHVt2
— Adrian Hilton (@Adrian_Hilton) June 30, 2022
Is anybody else finding the Dutch farmers’ resistance movement utterly inspiring? 👏🏻🇳🇱
— Martin Daubney 🇬🇧 (@MartinDaubney) July 6, 2022
Similar protests have actually taken place across the Netherlands before, as Dutch farmers railed against the previous round of updated nitrogen policies around town squares in The Hague back in November 2020.
In fact, these kinds of demonstrations have been happening every year since 2019, when the government first began cracking down on emissions and those in the agricultural sector organised a procession of tractors to cause huge traffic jams during the peak of rush hour.
While the UK may have already got a rare win following the announcement that Boris Johnson will resign as Prime Minister following innumerable scandals, many will be quite rightly wondering whether he could have been gotten rid of sooner had the people taken more demonstrative actions like this.
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