The morning of Thursday, March 5th saw students at dozens of secondary schools in Amsterdam arrive to find gates chained and locks glued shut. The action was carried out overnight by Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists, who targeted 35 institutions in a protest against the government’s perceived failure to meet environmental targets.
The group left letters addressed to the Cabinet at each site, demanding
Give our teenagers a reason to go to school!
The impact of the demonstration was mixed. While several schools, including the Barlaeus Gymnasium and Fons Vitae Lyceum, managed to open on time or with minimal delay, others were severely disrupted. The IVKO was forced to cancel its first three classes to facilitate police investigations and lock replacements. XR activists defended the disruption as a necessary wake-up call, pointing out that while they understand the local impact, millions of children globally are already missing education due to extreme weather.
The tactics drew immediate condemnation. A caretaker at one targeted premises expressed safety concerns, asking, “What if the school were on fire?” emphasizing that the blockades obstructed emergency exits. On social media, local VVD leader Michael Vis was even more blunt, labeling the group “XR scum.”
Despite the backlash and safety warnings, XR has announced that these school blockades are merely the beginning of their new campaign.
