Prison and community service for dumping waste on A7 during farmers’ protests | Domestic

Two suspects have been sentenced to two hundred hours of community service and eight months in prison, part of which is conditional. According to the court, they had the largest share. A third suspect has been sentenced to four months in prison, also partly conditional.

Three other suspects receive community service of forty to one hundred hours. Two of them must pay a fine of 500 euros. They will also be disqualified from driving for three months.

Two minor suspects have been sentenced to juvenile detention for 109 and 60 days. In addition, they have been given community service orders of forty and eighty hours.

In the summer of 2022, waste was dumped at the entrances and exits of the A7 during farmers’ protests in the middle of the night. As a result, traffic could no longer pass. This involved asbestos, car tires and sandy soil.

Road users have collided with dumped waste at high speeds both at Frieschepalen in Friesland and at Leek in Groningen. Some of the rubbish on the highway was also set on fire.

“Dumping waste not only poses a risk to public health, but is also dangerous to the environment,” the court said.

Blocking the road is also dangerous because it disrupts traffic and can lead to congestion and accidents, the court said. “In addition, emergency services may be hindered in carrying out their duties.”

The court states that the right to freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate are fundamental to a democratic society. But they are “never a license to commit criminal offences”, the court says. “Suspects have significantly exceeded legal limits with their actions.”