Greta Thunberg arrested during Brussels climate protest

Climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested during a protest in Brussels, along with about 100 other activists.

Demonstrators blocked the inner ring in both directions near Rogier during the afternoon on Saturday to raise awareness about the climate crisis.

“This climate crisis, which is only escalating, is existential,” Thunberg said. “Every second our leaders continue to fund fossil fuels, they affect all future generations.”

After temporarily tolerating the action for a time, police then made administrative arrests of the activists present.

“The police repeatedly asked the protesters to leave the site, as there was no prior application for this action, but those involved refused to comply with this order,” a police spokesperson said.

Paolo Destino, spokesperson for the activists, said that “in most cases, the police simply asked people to stand up, but in some cases there was heavy-handed enforcement”.

A separate demonstration of about 200 people also took place on Place du Luxembourg in front of the European Parliament, following a march through Brussels. The demonstration had been pre-approved by the authorities and police said no significant incidents were reported during the protest.

The protesters came from all over Europe under the banner of United for Climate Justice (UCJ), calling for an end to all government support for the EU's fossil industry.

They sent an open letter to EU institutions on 1 October, which was also signed by more than 130 academics and organisations such as Oxfam and Greenpeace, asserting that the EU honour its pledge to eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies across the EU by 2025, "in line with the Paris Agreement, as set out in the 8th Environment Action Programme".

According to data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), fossil fuel subsidies in the European Union amounted to more than €400 billion in 2023.

“[These subsidies] encourage the use of coal, oil and gas, which are the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and are making a significant contribution to the climate crisis,” explained the organisers of the demonstration, which also included the Extinction Rebellion and Code Rouge/Rood movements.

“[Subsidies for fossil fuels] distort energy demand, perpetuate dependence on polluting energy sources and undermine European energy security, while supporting industries that are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions – fuelling the global climate crisis, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities in Europe and the south.”

The activists urge European leaders to "put their money where their mouth is" and implement a commitment to eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies across the EU by 2025, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Photo: Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga