Water Protectors urge Dutch activists to join global struggle against Fossil companies: ‘Strong hearts to the front’

One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Groningen, an area in the North of the Netherlands, where people are suffering from the effects of gas extraction. Here, the water protectors expressed solidarity with the people fighting gas extraction, and shared knowledge and experiences. This is a worldwide fight against extractivism and global warming, they stressed. They urged local activists to be more active in their fight: ‘We need you to take courage’ said Wašté Win Young, ‘Strong hearts to the front’.

Dutch TV and radio press coverage:

• Sioux-stam schiet Groningers te hulp Een Vandaag (Dutch)
• Actievoerders VS in Kolham: Moeder aarde ligt overal ter wereld onder vuur

The Dutch part of the European tour saw a packed schedule with public meetings in various cities, meetings with local activists and Members of Parliament (MPs), and two hip-hop concerts.

Artists Nataanii Means and Rafael Gonzales aka Tufawon performed with Dutch hip-hop collective Rauwe School in Amsterdam. See a small clip of the show in Amsterdam on facebook or find their music online: Nataanii Means and Tufawon

As part of their tour they urged the Dutch public to divest from Dutch Banks involved in the Fossil industry and urged MPs to adopt more stringent accountancy rules to get transparency for the financial sector in place. The Netherlands is a global financial hub and bears an important responsibility in the standards of the financial sector.

Find out more about this campaign on the website of Mazaska Talks (Money Talks) 

Local activists in the Netherlands who feel inspired to join the global fight for climate justice are encouraged to join the non-violent Direct Action campaign CODE ROOD which takes place in the Amsterdam harbour on June 24. Find more information here.