Over 30 XR protesters arrested at Rijksmuseum

The police have arrested 33 Extinction Rebellion protesters who had chained themselves to the fence at the entrance of the Rijksmuseum. A police spokesperson said the protesters are being moved to another location. Earlier, the triangle (police, mayor, public prosecutor) ordered the protesters to go to an alternative demonstration location on the Museumplein.

"The demonstrators were given some time to do so, but unfortunately, they did not comply with the instruction. In doing so, they violated the Public Demonstrations Act," the spokesperson said. The police had to release the demonstrators from the fence.

The protesters are members of the climate action group Extinction Rebellion (XR), who had been chaining themselves to the fence leading to the bicycle and pedestrian tunnel containing the entrance to the museum since 9:00 a.m. They had previously announced that they would not leave "until our demand is met." The action group wants the museum to end its sponsorship relationship with ING. As a result, the museum was closed "until further notice," local broadcaster AT5 reported. However, the Amsterdam museum reopened at 2:45 p.m., a spokesperson said.

“It is incomprehensible that the Rijksmuseum is allowing itself to be sponsored by ING, the biggest financial driver of the climate crisis," said an XR spokesperson.

According to the environmental activists, the bank's sponsorship of the Rijskmuseum makes no sense, as the museum generates little income from this business relationship. The Rijksmuseum's total revenue in 2023 amounted to 123.3 million euros, of which 55.8 million euros came from ticket sales and 39 million euros from subsidies. ING's contribution is estimated at around 700,000 euros. This means that if the Rijksmuseum breaks the sponsorship relationship with ING, it will lose less than 0.6% of its income," XR claims.

ING thinks the action at the Rijksmuseum goes too far. "If XR has a problem with ING's financing policy, they should contact us directly and not the Rijksmuseum. We are always open to dialogue," an ING spokesperson said. XR has been campaigning against the bank's climate policy for some time, such as by blocking the A10 at ING's former headquarters in Amsterdam.