Amsterdam municipality official arrested in climate action during swearing-in of mayor Castricum

Lucas Winnips had recently sprayed the text ‘be honest’ with a spray can on various windows of the council chamber. According to a police spokesperson, the activist from Castricum was arrested for ‘destruction of the building’. XR had announced that it would use the installation of Tap to take action.

Winnips – who is an administrative affairs advisor at the municipality of Amsterdam – was arrested at the beginning of last year for incitement because he had called on people via social media to participate in a climate demonstration on the A12. The XR activist was then given an area ban, but still went to the demonstration on the Utrechtsebaan in The Hague and was subsequently arrested.

Banners

The activists wanted to hold ‘a peaceful demonstration’ in the council chamber in Castricum on Thursday. However, they were not allowed to enter the town hall with their banners. The municipality of Castricum had designated a place outside to protest.

About ten members of XR held up banners in their windows with the texts ‘be honest’ and ‘declare a climate emergency’. These were clearly visible in the room. When the extraordinary council meeting had been going on for about 45 minutes, the demonstrators had to move back a few meters and officers stood in front of the windows. Shortly before, Winnips had sprayed a text on the glass, according to XR with an easy-to-remove chalk paint spray. The spray can was confiscated.

In his installation speech, Tap referred to the action outside the town hall. “Freedom of expression and the freedom to demonstrate are a great asset in this country. Although I disapprove of this method of taking action, disrupting order and issuing threats, I am still very willing to enter into discussions with the activists,” said the new mayor, who is a member of D66.

Citizen initiative

The XR department in Castricum submitted a citizens’ initiative to the municipal council more than two years ago, with the request to declare a climate emergency. A majority of the council then voted against. XR recently called on Tap in an open letter to speak out and to indicate that there is a crisis situation.

Previously, Tofik Dibi, who is also a civil servant at the municipality of Amsterdam, was also discredited. The reason was stickers that Dibi had co-designed in the house styles of VVD, CDA and BBB respectively and which he shared on X.

The stickers express harsh criticism of the parties regarding their position regarding the war in Gaza. For example, the VVD states: ‘Squatting is theft. Except in Palestine.’ On a CDA sticker: ‘Standards. Values. Children Bomb.’ VVD, CDA and JA21 believed that his actions damaged the city council, councilor Hester van Buren called his actions ‘not wise’.