Climate activists block Amsterdam highway in protest against ING

Dutch climate activists on Saturday blocked a major highway in Amsterdam to demand an immediate end to the financing of fossil fuel projects by lender ING.

Hundreds of activists walked onto the A10 highway to the south of Amsterdam around noon local time (1100 GMT), images on local TV station ATS showed, after police shut down the road to avoid casualties.

The activists staged their protest at the location of ING's former headquarters along the A10, as they said the bank is the main facilitator of fossil fuel projects in the Netherlands.

ING, the largest lender in the Netherlands, earlier this month said it would stop financing oil and gas exploration and production by 2040 and triple new lending to renewable energy over the next two years as part of an updated climate strategy.

ING was not immediately available for comment.

The Amsterdam city council had banned the A10 protest and had allocated a field nearby for the demonstration. But protesters climbed up the embankment and onto the highway.