Netherlands: Protesters Raise Their Voices for Climate Ahead of Legislative Elections

On Sunday, 45,000 protesters (according to organizers) gathered in a park in the center of The Hague before marching through the city streets.

“I think there is a lot of concern in the Netherlands about climate policy. And I find that this is not properly reflected in the political debate and in what we see in this election,” said 23-year-old Daan Zieren to AFP.

“You see parties that are not talking about this at all, including those that used to talk about it a lot,” lamented this activist from a youth climate movement.

According to a recent poll, climate issues have now fallen far behind other priorities for voters ahead of Wednesday's election.

The climate, forgotten by politicians but defended in the streets

The climate issue ranks 11th among the priorities selected in a recent poll conducted by Eenvandaag among 25,000 voters.

Respondents were asked to select five priorities from 25 proposed themes, and only 19% chose climate to be in their top five. In contrast, 58% cited housing, 44% immigration, and 40% the healthcare system.

“We hope that all parties will realize that they can no longer ignore the climate problem,” explains Daan Zieren.

Marijn Roorda, a 47-year-old volunteer, came dressed as a polar bear, a symbol of a world threatened by global warming.

He also expressed frustration at the absence of climate change issues in the electoral campaign. “Many parties no longer care about the environment. Some even deny [this reality],” he told AFP.

“I think many people are worried about climate change, especially the young, but many are tired of politicians. Nothing happens, nothing changes, and we want to see change,” he concluded.