Hundreds of climate protesters blocked a distribution centre for Chinese online retail giant Alibaba and an airport for private jets in Belgium on Saturday, environmental movement Code Red announced.
According to Code Red, which fights against fossil fuels and advocates civil disobedience, hundreds of protesters were arrested by police during the action aimed at disrupting the aviation and e-commerce sectors.
"The Code Red movement is organizing its third mass civil disobedience action in our country. This time, the aviation sector is being targeted. The action is taking place in two locations," the movement said in a statement.
"In Liège, 600 activists are blocking (the traffic of the Chinese online trading platform) Alibaba. In Antwerp, with around forty activists still on site, private jet traffic is paralyzed despite the arrest of more than 700 activists," the text adds.
“With these actions, Code Red demands, among other things, an end to subsidies to the aviation sector, a ban on private jets and affordable public transport,” he continues.
“Liège Airport is the fastest growing airport in Europe,” according to Louis Droussin of Code Rouge, quoted in the press release. “Millions of euros of public money are supporting this expansion, which is happening at the expense of hundreds of hectares of agricultural land.”
“In the case of Alibaba, more trucks and planes filled with low-quality goods are causing more sleepless nights for locals. This is simply unfair,” he added.
An AFP journalist at Antwerp airport saw police using tear gas and arresting protesters in white overalls as they tried to enter its grounds. Chinese giant Alibaba opened its 30.000 square metre European distribution centre in Liège in 2021.
AFP
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