THE HAGUE: At least one protester was arrested on Saturday after a tense stand-off with police during a climate march against fossil subsidies, which was joined by environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg.
Dozens of police officers, some on horseback, blocked protesters from reaching the A12 arterial highway into the Dutch seaside city, the scene of previous actions organized by the Extinction Rebellion (XR) group.
Carrying XR flags and placards saying “Stop fuel subsidies now!” and “The planet is dying!,” protesters marched from the city center to a field next to the highway, where they were met by a wall of law enforcement.
Thunberg, dressed in a grey top, black trousers and blue shoes, joined the group at the start and was chanting songs with the group as they came to an abrupt stop.
“It’s important to demonstrate today because we are living in a state of planetary emergency,” Thunberg told AFP as police blocked marchers.
“We must do everything to avoid that crisis and to save human lives,” she said.
At least one protester was arrested and dragged away to a waiting police van, an AFP correspondent saw.
Asked whether she was concerned about police action and arrest, Thunberg said: “Why should I be?“
Activists said that despite majority backing by the Dutch parliament as well as broad popular support to slash fossil fuel subsidies, “the plans will not be implemented before 2030, or even 2035.”
“Meanwhile the ecological crisis continues to rage and the country’s outgoing cabinet pretends that we have all the time in the world, while the crisis is now,” XR said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The protest, added XR, was part of a plan to pressure the Dutch government ahead of another planned debate about fossil subsidies in June.
Police block Thunberg, marchers in Dutch climate protest
https://arab.news/nkzsf
Police block Thunberg, marchers in Dutch climate protest
- Dozens of police officers, some on horseback, blocked protesters from reaching the A12 arterial highway into the Dutch seaside city
- “It’s important to demonstrate today because we are living in a state of planetary emergency,” Thunberg told AFP
Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University
- Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
- She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions
JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.
Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.
The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.
“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.
This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.
She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.
“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.
“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”
Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.
