Climate protesters raid, shut down Amsterdam's famous Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam's famous Rijksmuseum had to be shut down Saturday (Sep 7) after climate protesters linked with the Extinction Rebellion (XR) group raided the art gallery. A spokesperson for the museum said the site was now closed "until further notice" to ensure the safety of visitors, staff and artworks in the collection.

"Any action that jeopardizes this is unacceptable," the spokesperson added.

XR in a statement said that the purpose of the blockade was to force the art gallery to snap its ties with the ING bank, its main sponsor. The group alleged that the bank was financing projects that were harming the climate.

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The group added that the protest will continue until their demands are met.

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history. One of the collections here is the "Night Watch," one of the best-known paintings of the 17th-century master Rembrandt van Rijn.

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The protesters on Saturday chained themselves to the doors of the museum, lighted yellow torches and stopped people from entering it.

In a statement, the XR group said, "It's incomprehensible that the Rijksmuseum can allow itself to be financed by ING, the largest financial driver of the climate crisis." A spokesman of the group charged that the museum was allowing a major polluter to "hide its face behind famous works of art from Dutch history."

Meanwhile, the ING bank reacted to the incident by asking the protesting group to come directly to it and not to the museum.

"If XR has a problem with ING's financing policies, they should turn to us directly and not to the Rijksmuseum. We are always open to dialogue," a spokesman of the bank said.

Founded in 2018, XR is known for criticising anti-environment policies and actions through dramatic public displays.

(With inputs from agencies)