Climate group Extinction Rebellion (XR) should be designated a terrorist organization, a Dutch MP has said. Marieke Wijen-Nass of the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) has called on the government to investigate whether the group falls foul of anti-terror laws.
Her remarks follow outrage over a recent incident in which Extinction Rebellion sent letters to 29 municipalities threatening to release butyric acid—a foul-smelling, potentially harmful substance—in shops and public places. XR later claimed the threats were part of an April Fools’ prank, but the backlash has been swift and widespread.
“The parallels with the RaRa action group from the eighties are becoming increasingly visible,” said Wijen-Nass, referring to a left-wing extremist group known for violent actions. “We should not trivialize these radical actions.”
Support for tougher action is growing. Ingrid Michon, a member of the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), described XR’s threat as a “sick action” on social media and asked, “When are we going to tackle this group of toddlers?”
Two years ago, VVD municipal councilor Lotte van Basten Batenburg warned that XR’s tactics “come close to the definition of ‘terrorist crimes’ under EU law.”
Justice Minister David van Weel has not yet responded publicly to the demands. Extinction Rebellion, known for its disruptive but typically non-violent climate protests, maintains that its actions are meant to draw attention to the climate crisis and do not pose a real threat to public safety.
