Dutch farmers ignite roadside fires and disrupt rail lines during Prinsjesdag
Coordinated farmer protests and suspected rail sabotage disrupted Dutch transport networks on 15 September as the government opened parliament in The Hague.
Railway disruptions on Prinsjesdag
Coordinated disruptions struck Dutch rail infrastructure on 15 September 2026, coinciding with the annual Prinsjesdag budget ceremonies in The Hague. Rail network operator ProRail recorded 35 separate technical faults caused by metal pipes and jumper cables placed across tracks at more than 30 locations. The conductive materials linked parallel rails together, causing signaling systems to register false train occupancies across the network. Near Steenwijk, an active passenger train struck an object placed on the track, though railway officials confirmed that the incident caused no injuries. Police secured the abandoned pipes and cables for forensic analysis, while ProRail instituted additional overnight camera surveillance and physical patrols across vulnerable sections of track.
Roadside fires and highway blockades
From 12:00 onwards, coordinated fires ignited alongside motorways and provincial routes across several provinces, sending dense smoke over active traffic lanes. Protesters ignited hay bales along the A2 motorway near Breukelen, significantly restricting visibility and forcing passing motorists to reduce speeds. Additional roadside blazes were documented along the A7 near Scheemda, as well as on six stretches of the A28 near Assen, Spier, Hooghalen, Beilen, Pesse, and Nijkerk. In Overijssel, agricultural demonstrators set fires in Markelo, Diepenheim, Haaksbergen, Beerzerveld, Kuinre, Genemuiden, Lemelerveld, and along the A1 at De Lutte. In the Gelderland village of Stroe, riot police intervened to dismantle a tractor blockade on the N310 following a fire on an overpass directly above the A1.
- Farming groups meet in Nijkerk and conclude that harder protest actions are required
- Farmers Defence Force publishes online messages calling for fires to be lit across the country
- ProRail detects conductive materials on tracks at more than 30 locations, causing 35 disruptions
- Farmers ignite hay bales and roadside verges along multiple highways and provincial roads
- Police arrest six men near Breukelen on suspicion of endangering traffic safety
- Twenty farmers gather with tractors outside the Houten police cell complex demanding releases
Arrests and demonstrations at Houten
Police detained six men aged between 25 and 70 from the municipality of Stichtse Vecht in connection with the blazes along the A2 near Breukelen. Authorities booked the suspects on charges of endangering traffic safety after emergency services reported that parked tractors obstructed fire crews attempting to extinguish burning hay. During the evening of 15 September, approximately 20 farmers gathered with tractors outside the police detention facility in Houten, demanding the immediate release of the six detained men. Police officers held discussions with the demonstrators outside the complex while keeping the site secured. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten condemned the disruptions during his remarks on the budget proceedings.
Prinsjesdag is the celebration of democracy, and that includes people who disagree with their cabinet making their voices heard. But what we saw today really crosses all boundaries.
Strategy and political reactions
The protest actions targeted a policy letter from Minister Jaimi van Essen regarding national nitrogen emission reductions. Representatives from farming action groups, including Sieta van Keimpema of Farmers Defence Force and Erik Luiten of Agractie, formulated the escalated campaign during a meeting in Nijkerk on 10 September. Farmers Defence Force issued public calls on 14 September urging farmers to ignite roadside fires at 12:00 sharp to maximize visibility. Farmers Defence Force leader Mark van den Oever denied organizational responsibility for the railway disruptions, though he acknowledged that individual farmers might have carried out uncoordinated actions. Agricultural organization LTO Nederland formally condemned the railway tampering.
Tractor leaders came to the conclusion last week that public-friendly actions have too little effect.
Sabotage has nothing to do with the right to demonstrate. Whoever is behind this must seriously ask themselves what interest is served by this.
