Brussels police detain 185 people after they protest against auto industry

Police detained 185 protesters on Saturday after they staged demonstrations for climate change at a car expo in Brussels, international media reported. The environmental protest group called Extinction Rebellion were in central Brussels to protest against the auto industry’s role in co2 emissions that cause climate change. 

'Shell Kills'

One protester whose face was covered in black paint chanted "Shell Kills” referring to the oil company Royal Dutch Shell before lying down in front of company’s stall while other members gathered around wearing face masks with company’s logo. Speaking to international media, a member and former spokesman of the group, Christophe Meierhans said that the group targeted the car industry because it told a lot of lies to people in order to sell more cars. 

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The protest comes days after the European Commission unveiled ideas to finance its Green Deal project. In a recent meeting, EU planned to dedicate a quarter of its budget to tackling climate change and has set up a scheme to shift 1 trillion euros ($1.1 trillion) in investment towards making the economy more environmentally friendly over the next 10 years.

The Europe Investment Plan, to be unveiled later Tuesday, will be funded by the EU budget and the private sector. It aims to deliver on European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's Green Deal to make the bloc the world's first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. The plan will include a mechanism designed to help the regions most affected by the transition to cleaner industries, although all EU member states will be entitled to subsidies.

Meanwhile, climate change activist Greta Thunberg on Friday addressed hundreds of people at a climate march in Lausanne, Switzerland. Thunberg spoke to the protesters on what she claimed was the one-year anniversary of the first Friday climate rallies in the country. Police officers clashed with some demonstrators during the protest.

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(With agency inputs)