At 08:00 on Saturday, Code Rouge activists launched a blockade of two TotalEnergies sites in Wallonia, Belgium, targeting the company’s facilities in Feluy (Hainaut) and Wandre (Liège).
The group is aiming to disrupt operations by blocking a key roundabout and the railways used for transporting fossil fuels.
The protest is a direct challenge to the company and Belgian political leaders, whom the activists accuse of failing to address environmental concerns amid the ongoing climate crisis.
“Amid a climate crisis, TotalEnergies continues to expand its destructive activities. It’s absurd,” Code Rouge stated, highlighting what they describe as the anti-environmental decisions made by the energy giant.
The organisation argues that the fossil fuel industry is profiting at the expense of ordinary citizens, while global communities bear the consequences of the ecological and social crises driven by fossil fuel extraction and consumption.
Heavy Police Presence Ahead of the Protest
The protest, which attracted significant attention, was met with a robust police response aimed at deterring participants from reaching the blockade sites.
Code Rouge claimed that large-scale identity checks were conducted at railway stations across Belgium on Friday in an apparent effort to thwart the demonstration.
Additionally, some activists reported being followed by law enforcement on Friday night, with a few preemptively detained.
Despite these efforts, the majority of activists were able to reach the sites on Saturday morning, where they quickly set up blockades at strategic points.
“The blockade is in place, and people are prepared to remain on these strategic points for at least a few hours. Interactions with the police have been relatively calm so far, which is reassuring,” a Code Rouge spokesperson told Belga News Agency.
TotalEnergies Anticipates Protest, Remains Unaffected
TotalEnergies had anticipated the demonstration and took precautionary measures to ensure the protest did not disrupt its operations.
According to a company spokesperson, the protests were well-managed by law enforcement, and there were no reports of attempts to intrude on company facilities.
“The demonstration is well-managed by law enforcement, and there have been no attempts to intrude on our facilities,” the spokesperson noted, indicating that business activities continued as planned.
Message of Environmental Urgency
Code Rouge’s blockade aims to spotlight the urgent need for action in the face of climate change.
The group accuses TotalEnergies of prioritising profit over environmental health and points to the ongoing expansion of fossil fuel activities as evidence of the company’s disregard for the planet.
“The fossil fuel industry profits at our expense while ordinary people globally bear the consequences of the ecological and social crisis caused by their activities,” Code Rouge said, reiterating their message of environmental justice.
The protests are expected to conclude later on Saturday, with participants likely to remain at the blockade sites for several hours.
The demonstration reflects a broader movement of climate activism across Europe, where environmental groups are increasingly resorting to direct action to draw attention to the urgency of reducing fossil fuel dependence.
While Code Rouge’s blockade has not yet caused significant disruption to TotalEnergies’ operations, it underscores the growing tension between climate activists and the fossil fuel industry in Belgium and beyond.
The protest serves as a reminder of the escalating demands for more stringent environmental policies to combat climate change.
