Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Extinction Rebellion activists protested at Gravensteen Castle in Ghent. One glued their hand down. Police removed them peacefully. The castle closed temporarily. Several activists were arrested and fined.
A group of climate activists from Extinction Rebellion held a protest at Gravensteen Castle in Ghent. They climbed onto the castle walls and hung up big signs to get people and the government to pay attention to climate change. They wanted people to know that we need to do something about climate change now.
One activist glued their hand to the ground to stop the police from moving them. Tourists could still go into the castle for a while, but it was a bit tense. The activists wanted to show that the damage to the planet is real and we need to act quickly.
Why did police close Gravensteen during the XR climate protest?
A lot of police officers arrived at the castle to deal with the protest. They decided to stop letting people into the castle and asked everyone inside to leave. The police then removed the activists, including the one who glued their hand to the ground. They used special liquids to help get the person’s hand unstuck and made sure they didn’t get hurt.
The protest, which was said to be peaceful, kept people away from visiting the castle temporarily, the officials stated. Extinction Rebellion sought to make individuals consider the issue of climate change. They claimed not to want to disrupt the castle or tourism, but they aimed to demonstrate how necessary it is to care for the environment.
The police were getting ready to remove all the activists from the castle. The man who had glued his hand to the ground was already gone. But the other activists said they wouldn’t leave on their own. So, the police decided to arrest them. They will each have to pay a fine because they went into the castle without paying, which is not allowed. The police are writing a report about what happened.
The police brought big vans into the castle courtyard to take the activists away. The activists said they were “occupying” the castle, like students did a long time ago to protest about the price of beer. That protest was famous in Belgium, and Extinction Rebellion wanted to do something similar to show they are angry that the government isn’t doing enough about climate change.
