Farmers protested across the Netherlands last night, causing major disruptions on Dutch highways — and the aftermath has left some Dutch roads in chaos.
Last night, Dutch farmers set hay bales and wood on fire, set off fireworks, and drove farm vehicles across the highways in the north and east of the Netherlands, reports the NOS.
Dutch police have said that it was not possible to intervene in all protests, but they sent personnel to Gelderland and Overijssel in particular.
The affected highways
Many highways were blocked off or set on fire and, at the time of writing, are still closed or being cleaned up.
The A1 motorway around Oldenzaal was closed this morning as the road was blocked with debris and waste. The driveway at Hengelo is also closed further east towards Hengelo due to farmer demonstrations on the road.
Police also report protestors setting asbestos on fire on the A50 highway near Beekbergen. The road is partially closed for cleanup.
Boerenprotest op de A50 aflsag 24 Apeldoorn@boerenactie @boeren pic.twitter.com/cGJ1kn5vJ5
— Brandweer-ambulance-politienieuws (@Brandweer2020) February 5, 2024
Protestors also lit fires on the A28 highway exit of ‘t Harde bij Nunspeet, A15 near Vuren, A12 near Veenendaal, and A28 by Staphorst.
They also demonstrated on the A2 highway around Breukelen, the A7 near Purmerend, and the A23 near Steenwik.
Accidents on the road
The protests were not without a few injuries.
At least two motorists were injured on the A15 near Herwijnen after their cars collided near where the farmers had lit a fire, reports RTL Nieuws. Two people were taken to the hospital.
Vehicles also collided on the Citadel road in Veenendaal, parallel to the A12 highway. One person was trapped in the car and had to be removed from the vehicle by emergency services. They were also taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Why are farmers protesting?
Well, this isn’t the first time farmers are protesting.
This time, Dutch farmers are protesting a slew of issues, including low prices for their produce, rising costs, EU environmental regulations, and cheap imports, reports Reuters.
And this isn’t just the case in The Netherlands. Farmers in Germany, Belgium, and France have taken to the streets (or should we say highways?) to protest their dissatisfaction with the European Union.
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