Dutch police arrested climate change activists who occupied a part of the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Monday. The activists unfurled banners and formed human chains to plead with the Court to recognise ecocide as an international crime, according to the Independent. The demonstration, led by Extinction Rebellion, said their protest was not meant to critique the work of the ICC.
“Currently, the ICC recognises four international crimes: crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, and crimes of aggression,” the group said in a statement. “The ongoing violence against ecosystems that sustain all living beings including us has been left unpunished.” Jonathan Leggett, an activist of Extinction Rebellion, even said, “We demand that ecocide is amended as a fifth international crime alongside the other abhorrent crimes dealt with by the court.”
Extinction Rebellion had its first demonstration last year and has captured headlines and high-profile supports ever since. The group spans continents, calling for “radical change in order to minimise the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse.”
The activists unfurled banners reading “Make ecocide law” at the Court and formed human chains before police arrested 22 of them.
