The Zaaier was rapidly relieved of its blindfold. Climate protesters of Scientist Rebellion blindfolded statues of Erasmus in Rotterdam, Spinoza in Amsterdam and Rembrandt in Leiden. The more or less iconic statue of De Zaaier on Wageningen Campus was blindfolded on Sunday night.
The ‘Statue Sunday’-protest was held in seven countries to raise awareness of the climate crisis. ‘If our leaders ever wish to deserve a statue, they must act now to take the necessary actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and put a stop to biodiversity loss. They must not look away’, a declaration by Scientist Rebellion states. To underscore their message, protesters posted alarming IPCC graphs near the blindfolded statues.
Removed rapidly
The protest was only visible on campus for a short while. At noon, De Zaaier had already been freed of its blindfold and other protest paraphernalia. This extremely swift removal of protests appears to be a trend: the recent pop-up parking lot park erected by Nieuwe Mobiliteit Wageningen (New Mobility Wageningen) was dismantled and taken to the dump within 24 hours – ‘Including my trailer’, says initiator Jacco Bontekoe. And earlier, campus managers wanted very little to do with Fresco’s dismantled bicycle.
