The claim

Photo of a water cannon + comment:
“The Hague, Jongeneel Nootdorp gas station. Up to 100,000 people are expected at the farmers' protests tomorrow, and the mayor has already threatened to call in the military. Germany is sending four water cannons and Belgium is sending two.”

Our conclusion

The photo of the gas station is real, but the accompanying text is misleading. A German water cannon was actually used on March 11th in The Hague, Netherlands, as part of “administrative assistance.” However, this did not happen against participants in the “farmers’ protest”, but against climate activists who had blocked a motorway tunnel.

Photos on social media show German police cars and water cannons at the gas pump and in the area of ​​a gas station. The recordings are said to come from the “Jongeneel Nootdorp gas station” on the motorway to The Hague. There they are to be used against the “peasant protests” that took place on March 11, 2023:

Can that be true? German police water cannons used outside German territory? Did they really go to the farmers' protests on March 11th in The Hague, Holland? And were they even used there? Not quite. But one by one:

___STEADY_PAYWALL___

The photo from the gas station

google “Jongeneel Nootdorp gas station” you will quickly find it. On the A12 motorway, which leads from Arnhem via Utrecht to The Hague, there is a Total gas station “Jongeleen” at the “Nootdorp” exit.

There are also photos linked in Maps that show this gas station from the outside and in 2018. Not everything about the photo with the water cannons looks exactly the same as it did 5 years ago, but the similarities are enough to confirm several details: The signage is similar enough that one can assume that this is a gas station in the Netherlands acts. The roof structure with the red bar looks very similar to Total's design. The paved floor including puddles also fits together quite well. Yes, that could definitely be the gas station mentioned. The pictures from the gas station website probably also come from back then:

Total Stations Jongeneel

“Boerenprotesten” – The farmers’ protests in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, farmers are protesting against stricter environmental regulations, and there are also violent protests. On Saturday, March 11th, the largest demonstration to date took place in The Hague. Farmers are protesting against government regulations that aim to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and ammonia by 50 percent by 2030. The regulations require a reduction in animal husbandry because nitrogen enters the groundwater in the form of nitrate from fertilizers. The government estimates that about 30% of ranchers will have to go out of business to achieve this goal.

The government's current nitrogen strategy would require the closure of 11,200 farms, according to the Treasury. Another 17,600 farmers would have to reduce their livestock by a third to almost half. The calculations show how badly the agricultural sector, with its around 40,000 to 50,000 livestock farms, is affected by the government's nitrogen plans.

Farmers have been protesting for some time now. In the summer of 2019, there were weeks of demonstrations during which, among other things, supermarkets and streets were blocked with tractors and hay bales and hay bales were set on fire. The protests became more and more radical: some farmers dumped manure and garbage on highways and attacked politicians' houses. Violent extremist groups also joined the protests.

The farmers feel cheated and argue that they have always followed the rules and invested sustainably. They doubt the validity of the pollutant measurements and have the feeling that they lack a future perspective for agriculture. They are demanding more time to convert their businesses and are relying on technological innovations.

This is not a farmers' protest at all. This is organized exclusively by the Farmers Defense Force and there are also all sorts of Corona protest groups. We do not support this protest and will not be present.

Sjaak van der Tak from LTO Netherlands

However, not all agricultural associations support the protest. Sjaak van der Tak, chairman of the major agriculture and horticulture organization, said he did not support the protest and would not take part. He is one of many who distanced themselves from the demonstration, which the right-wing populist Geert Wilders also called for.

Police have been forced to respond to some of the protests with violence. In July 2019, she fired warning shots and even aimed directly at a tractor driven by a 16-year-old who had tried to ram police vehicles. This situation was described by the police as extremely dangerous and farmers denied the allegations. Since then, there have been further clashes with farmers. In a fact check from July 2022, we looked at some exaggerations, half-truths and false statements that are circulating online around the farmers' protest.

The mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, did not rule out the deployment of the army on March 11 due to previous escalations: “It is available if the need arises.” In the end, it was not only available, but was also used: the army set up roadblocks so that the ban on tractors could be enforced. An emergency ordinance was issued specifically for this purpose. Access roads and important intersections were blocked with army vehicles, as RND writes.

Water cannon The Hague
With Beethoven's Seventh against climate change. Using water cannons against climate protectors. Photo: XR

At the same time: demonstration by climate protectors

Parallel to the farmers and just a few kilometers away as the crow flies, climate activists demonstrated on March 11th for significantly stricter requirements for climate and environmental protection. The action group Extinction Rebellion called for the protests:

While the police and military only prevent the “farmers” from showing up at their demonstration in Zuiderpark with tractors, they bring out heavier artillery at the climate protest on the “Utrechtsebaan” (A12): the German water cannons. A live ticker and a press release describe the events from the perspective of the Dutch police and also document the measures taken at both protest events.

Shortly before midday, Extinction Rebellion activists appeared on the Utrechtsebaan and began their blockade action with hundreds of activists walking up the street. Before they could enter the tunnel, they were stopped by the police. They then began a sit-in. The police asked the activists several times to end their action and leave the tunnel. From 4 p.m. onwards, officers actively appealed to people at risk to move away. The mayor broke up the demonstration at 5 p.m. People who left on their own initiative were not arrested. Activists who did not leave the demonstration and remained seated were sprayed with water cannon. The police always gave the activists the opportunity to end their action and leave. The activists who failed to do so were arrested.

Excerpt from the press release about the protests

Shortly after 8 p.m., the Dutch police arrested the last demonstrators from the Utrechtsebaan, a total of 700 have been arrested. After thorough cleaning, the highway was reopened to traffic just after 9 p.m. 18 participants required medical care. According to the police, the reason for this was the “formation of fog in combination with the cold weather,” meaning the water from the water cannons. rtl nieuws and the local broadcaster Omroep West show how the German STA1 water cannon is used against the participants in the climate demonstration:

The fact that so many people are willing to stay on the A12 while the police use water cannons shows the urgency of the climate and environmental crisis. This winter, people are stuck in cold homes with unaffordable energy bills while the fossil fuel industry reaps exorbitant profits. The earth has already warmed by at least 1.2 degrees, and climate catastrophes are hitting hard. Particularly in the global south, people are struggling with extreme floods and storms, prolonged droughts and famines, heat waves and land loss due to sea level rise. But our government 'stimulates' the fossil fuel industry with 17.5 billion euros in fossil subsidies every year.

Speaker Anne Kervers on extinctionrebellion.nl

German police working abroad: How can that be?

The use of water cannons by the German police in the Netherlands is not simply possible, as it is an executive measure and is therefore subject to territorial sovereign law. According to the principle of territorial integrity, other states are generally prohibited from intervening in their territory without the express consent of the respective government. The use of water cannons by the German police in the Netherlands would constitute a violation of this principle.

However, the fact that the police can operate outside German borders is possible due to various existing agreements and, in the case of cross-border crime, also makes sense. The following formulation can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland:

Germany works with numerous partners both within the EU and internationally and is involved in European and international missions.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior and its authorities maintain a close exchange on all current security issues. Cross-border cooperation with the security and law enforcement authorities of other countries is constantly being intensified and expanded on the basis of bilateral and multilateral agreements as well as within the framework of European and international institutions.

Excerpt from the National and International Cooperation

The basis for cooperation with individual states are so-called “bilateral police agreements”, multilateral agreements such as the Prüm Treaty or joint authorities such as Europol and Interpol. The Kingdom of the Netherlands has had a law in force that regulates “cross-border police cooperation and […] cooperation in criminal matters”. For the “Euregio Meuse-Rhine” there is a cooperation center in Kerkrade . of the Prüm Treaty on “simplified cross-border cooperation”.

Within the European Union, particularly in the Schengen area, cross-border police cooperation and support within the framework of “administrative assistance” is also possible. The Dutch water cannons have been in the garage since last summer after a tire burst. Six new ones are currently to be purchased, and “preparations for a European tender” are currently underway. Until then, the Dutch police are borrowing water cannons and personnel from Germany and Belgium.

These devices are operated by Belgian and German police forces, but are under the command of the Dutch police. So we determine when the device is used.

Police spokesman for rtl nieuws

Conclusion: The photo is real, but the accompanying text is misleading. A German water cannon was actually used on March 11th in The Hague, Netherlands. However, this did not happen against participants in the “farmers’ protest”, but against climate activists who had blocked a motorway tunnel. The Dutch police currently do not have any operational water cannons and are borrowing them and their personnel from their German and Belgian colleagues as part of an “administrative assistance”.

Mimikama Rating: MISLEADING

Sources: Dutch police , extinctionrebellion.nl , BMI , BMJ , bgbl.de , De Telegraaf , rtl nieuws , RND , Wirtschaftswoche , euchio-mr.info , Omroep West , Den Haag FM , tankstationsjongeneel.nl , Twitter, Google Maps

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