Tractors Head To The Hague, Defy Ban On Farm Protests

Farmers drove tractors toward The Hague early Saturday, Mar. 11, 2023, in defiance of a ban on heavy vehicles imposed ahead of a protest against the government’s plan to reduce nitrate emissions, Mike Corder reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: One of the tractors was emblazoned with a banner saying in Dutch “#proudofthefarmer.”

The municipality imposed an emergency order in the city on a day when thousands of farmers were set to gather in a park and environmental activists from the Extinction Rebellion group were also planning a protest action on a major road.

Authorities placed army trucks near some crossroads ready to block the streets if tractors tried to drive into the city center.

The demonstrations come days before Dutch voters go to the polls in provincial elections Wednesday that indirectly also elect the national parliament’s upper house and could have an effect on proposals for reducing nitrate pollution.

Rotterdam broadcaster Rijnmond showed video of a convoy of tractors crossing the city’s Erasmus Bridge early Saturday, apparently on their way to The Hague.

One of the tractors was emblazoned with a banner saying in Dutch “#proudofthefarmer.”

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