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Update: Protest at Upfield ended

The protest action at Upfield ended with the removal of protesters from the building crane

20-05-2021

Photo Roelof Kleis

The protest started early this morning with a classic lock-on, chaining oneself to the entry gate of the Upfield construction site. Five protesters took refuge in the large crane on the site and hoisted a protest banner. The protest is a coordinated action of Extinction Rebellion, its agriculture branch ASEED and Science for Rebellion. The atmosphere became grim once the crane operator arrived and attempted to remove the protesters by swaying the crane back and forth from his vantage point in the cabin.

Multinationals

‘We are here because we disagree with the way WUR collaborates with multinationals’, Kamiel Verhelst of Extinction Rebellion explains. Banners and a shelf of products with slogans underscore the message. A grocery cart has been included in the chain of protesters as well.

The protesters were up early this morning. Verhelst: ‘We were here at five in the morning. The construction workers always arrive early. The first ones came in at six.’ There were no problems; the protest had been announced beforehand. The construction workers were able to access the site through a different entrance.

Special unit

The protest lasted through the morning, and no construction took place during that time. Only when an official order was issued to terminate the process at noon, most of the protesters backed down. Three of the five occupants of the crane, however, stayed put. A special police unit was deployed to abseil down with the protesters. The three have been taken into custody.

This discussion is not our finish line, unless WUR agrees with us, of course
Kamiel Verhelst, spokesperson Extinction Rebellion Wageningen

WUR spokesperson Annet Blanken responds to the protest with surprise. ‘A meeting has been set for next week to discuss our collaboration with the business sector. A variety of parties, including Extinction Rebellion, have been invited.’ Verhelst says today’s protest was specifically planned with the intent to focus attention on next Tuesday’s meeting.

Fresco

Verhelst calls the protest a success. ‘A protest is successful if it attracts a lot of media attention. That is, after all, the best way to prompt a discussion both within and outside of WUR.’ Verhelst says more protests will follow after Tuesday. ‘This discussion is not our finish line, unless WUR agrees with us, of course. We must continue to seek attention; otherwise, things will go just like they did when Louise Fresco took a position at Syngenta: there was an outrage for a short while, after which it died down completely.’