In Ghent, police are removing Extinction Rebellion activists that occupied the Gravensteen, the Castle of the Counts, in the East Flemish capital. Climate activists launched their campaign to highlight the climate crisis this morning.
It was around 10 am this morning that around 10 climate activists unrolled banners from the battlements of the Castle of the Counts, one of Flanders’s most popular visitor attractions. In this way, climate campaigners of Extinction Rebellion once again want to draw attention to the climate crisis. One activist took up position at the entrance and glued a hand to the ground.
A large police force quickly arrived at the scene. Tourists were still granted access to the monument until 10.45 am. Later, the police asked for the castle, which served as the home of the Counts of Flanders till 1353, to be cleared so that they could evict the activists without endangering anybody else.
The activists are being placed under administrative detention. They are being handed an administrative nuisance fine. Police are also drawing up reports after the activists entered the monument without paying the 13-euro entrance fee and refused to leave voluntarily.
Police in 3 large police vans were deployed and earlier drove into the castle to restore order. The activists, for their part, based their “occupation” on an earlier student protest when the Castle of the Counts was seized out of dissatisfaction with the high price of beer.