Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters blocked the railway tracks at the Port of Rotterdam on Saturday morning, according to the Netherlands Police and pro-Palestinian groups, leading to the arrest of over three hundred activists.
Four of the people were arrested for resisting arrest and assault, two having punched and one having bitten police officers who were trying to remove them from the tracks. Another three were arrested for vandalism and insults, allegedly having damaged the tracks and buses used to transfer them to another location.
Organizing group Geef Tegen Gas posted a video on Instagram showing police clashing with protesters and beating them back with truncheons.
Several protesters had tied themselves to the tracks but were removed along with the other activists after they were reportedly given repeated warnings and orders to leave the premises.
Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schoutenhad had reportedly ordered police to supervise the demonstrations to ensure that there were no security concerns, but had prohibited protests on the rail tracks. Police said that the activists had engaged in dangerous activity by blocking the tracks.
"Numerous trains, including several carrying hazardous materials, are running in the port," the police said in a statement. "This could create life-threatening situations for protesters and port personnel."
Managed to mobilize 800 activists
Geef Tegen Gas said on Instagram that it had managed to mobilize 800 activists to disrupt the logistics of what it believed to be a system that enabled "the arms trade, genocide, and colonial oppression."
The Saturday protest was the second in two days, with activists rallying at the port on Friday to demand a complete trade and weapons embargo with Israel, a complete halt to all goods and products linked to supposed human rights abuses, and a ban on polluting vessels.
"They keep choosing the profit of a few over the lives of many," said an activist in a video.
The activists said that the protests were part of a wider activist effort to disrupt shipping across Europe.