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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 2 OctOber 2019
Angry Dutch farmers descend

on The Hague to demand respect

By MIKE CORDER Among the farmers' de- They said, "we are not ani-
Associated Press mands are that the gov- mal abusers and environ-
THE HAGUE, Netherlands ernment does not further ment polluters. We have a
(AP) — Thousands of Dutch reduce the number of ani- heart for our businesses."
farmers massed in The mals they can keep and One of the partner parties
Hague on Tuesday to de- for an "independent party" in the country's ruling coali-
mand more respect for to measure the carbon tion recently proposed a
their profession, many after and nitrogen emissions that 50% reduction in the num-
driving in slow-moving trac- farms produce. ber of animals allowed on
tor convoys that snarled "This is about our families, farms as a way to cut nitro-
traffic around the country. our future, the future of our gen emissions.
Farmers staged a national children. It's about our way Agriculture Minister Carola Tractors are lined up during a protest in The Hague, Netherlands,
day of protest as the Neth- of life," sheep farmer Bart Schouten said no such re- Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, as thousands of Dutch farmers headed to
The Hague on Tuesday, many driving in slow-moving convoys of
erlands wrestles with efforts Kemp, one of the protest's duction would take place tractors that snarled traffic in the morning rush hour, for a nation-
to drastically reduce emis- organizers, told the crowd as long as she held her post. al day of protest to demand more respect for their profession.
sions of greenhouse gases. gathered in the Hague. She pledged to listen to the Associated Press
A broad package of mea- In an emotional speech, farmers' other concerns.
sures includes a plan to Kemp said lawmakers "miss "We are working for a strong Some farmers avoided the the protest site and a sec-
grant financial aid to farm- the common sense - farm- agricultural sector with an traffic by driving their trac- ond for allegedly interfering
ers who want to cease op- er's sense - that nature and eye on a healthy environ- tors along the North Sea with the arrest.
erations or adopt more sus- animals teach us." He ap- ment," Schouten told the beach to The Hague. Oth- Cattle farmer Peter Boog-
tainable agriculture prac- pealed for a "new era in farmers. ers set off in the early hours ards drove his tractor from
tices. which the food producers The Dutch motorists asso- of the morning and waited, the nearby village of Was-
There is a lot at stake: Ac- of the Netherlands are lis- ciation, ANWB, reported honking their tractors' horns, senaar to express his anger.
cording to the Dutch farm- tened to" by lawmakers. that Tuesday was the busi- in long lines to get into the "We're the only sector that
ers' organization, LTO, ex- Organizers said on a web- est ever morning on the na- city. Police sealed off roads has managed to reduce
ports from the Netherlands' site for the demonstration tion's roads, with more than heading into The Hague's phosphate production by
nearly 54,000 farms and they also wanted to coun- 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) historic center and arrest- 20%," he said. "Nobody lis-
agriculture businesses were ter a "negative image" of traffic jams blamed on ed at least one farmer for tens to us, while we stick to
worth 90.3 billion euros farming and farmers have convoys of tractors, bad driving his tractor through agreements. We don't like
($98.3 billion) last year. in the Netherlands. weather and accidents. a metal fence surrounding that."q

Slain Saudi writer's fiancee says prince must give answers

Associated Press A vigil is scheduled to be
ISTANBUL (AP) — The fian- held outside the consulate
cee of slain Saudi journalist building Wednesday, start-
Jamal Khashoggi said Tues- ing at 1:14 p.m. (1014 GMT)
day that Crown Prince Mo- marking the time Jamal
hammed bin Salman has walked into the building.
a duty to answer questions "I am feeling anxiety, fear
now that he has accepted and strange things that I
responsibility for the killing cannot express," she said
inside the Saudi Consulate about returning to the con-
in Istanbul last year. sulate building. "Last year,
Hatice Cengiz told The As- I was waiting for Jamal
sociated Press she is ap- on my own. This year the
prehensive about returning whole world will be waiting
to the site Wednesday for with me for Jamal — but
a ceremony marking the we will be waiting for jus-
anniversary of Khashoggi's tice for Jamal."
death, but takes strength Earlier this week, Prince
knowing she won't be Mohammed said in a tele-
alone this time. vision interview that he
Cengiz waited outside the takes "full responsibility" for
consulate last year on Oct. Khashoggi's death, but de-
2 as Khashoggi entered to nied allegations that he or-
collect documents need- dered the killing.
ed to marry her. He never Cengiz said the prince's
re-emerged. words were likely made
The Washington Post col- to "weaken" public pres-
umnist, who wrote criti- sure over the death in the
cally about the prince, run up to the anniversary.
was killed by agents of the She added, however, that
Saudi government who if the prince was sincere,
apparently dismembered then "we would have the
his body, which has never right to ask him about the
been found. details."q