UvA lecturer blocks access road at Tata Steel. “Change in 10 years is just too late”
UvA anthropologist Martijn Dekker, along with a dozen others, blocked one of the access roads to Tata Steel on Monday afternoon. “There is a major emergency going on in southern Europe at the moment. Making a change in 10 years is just too late.”
In yet another action concerning Tata Steel, on Monday afternoon some 25 men took action on the steel producer's premises. UvA lecturer Martijn Dekker, who researches how disruptive tactics are used to make political points, was also present.
Hi Martijn. Why were you campaigning at the Tata site this week?
“We were there on behalf of the action group Kappen met Kolen, which is affiliated with Extinction Rebellion. We want coal to stop being used as a fossil fuel. I have therefore attended several actions, at the port in Amsterdam, for example, where an enormous amount of coal is transported to Germany.”
“We are here now at Tata Steel because there are two large coke plants here, which is a variant of coal, which are also enormously polluting. These power plants violate all kinds of environmental regulations. So why is nothing being done? That is indeed the question. Tata is a powerful player, economically speaking. Fortunately, we see that more and more attention is being paid to the problem. Things are also starting to shift within politics. We have known from the beginning that the coke factories emit toxic substances, yet nothing is happening.”
Are you here in a personal capacity or also as a researcher?
“In a personal capacity, although not entirely unrelated to my research. I’m interested in forms of disruptive politics, and how certain forms of activism relate to politics. I had been involved in activism for some time and participated in actions by Kick Out Zwarte Piet, for example. That made me think, hey, I’d like to research this, too. I always joke that I ‘practice what I teach.’”
How do you keep work and private life separate? Isn't that necessary for your independence as a scientist?
“That’s a good question. Of course, you have to keep an eye on independence and pursue objectivity to the extent possible. My current research is about what motivates activists to take risky actions which run the risk of getting injured. In doing so, as a researcher, I do not question the activists’ goals.”
“I have been involved in politics throughout my academic career. I also conducted research on the West Bank in Israel. And I deal with gender typecasting. These are all socially sensitive topics, but at the same time they are very important issues.”
What is the atmosphere at the grouds like?
“It’s laid back. The grounds are huge. They are leaving us alone, for now. The police have been by twice and gave their thumbs up. We’ve had some food, did some singing. The idea is to prevent supplies from entering the grounds (or the factory). But there is another entrance, so presumably, traffic will be directed there. So it’s a partial blockade.”
Previous demonstrations did not achieve much as yet. What are your demands?
“We mainly want Tata Steel to be scaled down. Of the 150 steel plants in Europe, Tata is in the top five most polluting. Of course, many people in the region are dependent on it for work, so we are also in favor of a good social plan. A recent survey of employment in the region showed that most people could find another job within three months. That study was conducted by Environmental Defense and Greenpeace, but it was a thorough and good study.”
Top Tata executive Hans van den Berg said earlier here at the UvA that he ‘he is doing everything he can to reduce CO2 emissions and pollutants that increase the risk of lung cancer, among other things, as quickly as possible.’ What is your take on this?
“In essence, of course, this is great. The know-how to produce green steel is already there. But it takes too long. If it takes 10 or 15 years to put everything in place, that’s too late. This afternoon a critical Tata employee also asked if we weren’t afraid that if Tata closed here, a plant would be opened somewhere in India, where there would be even less control. But that’s not true. Control is just as lacking here: Tata is one of the most polluting factories in the world. Such a remark has quite a racist undertone, because even more polluting than it is now going on here in IJmuiden is hardly possible. Tata is the biggest nitrogen and CO2 emitter in The Netherlands. We can’t have that. There is currently a major emergency in southern Europe. Change in 10 years is simply too late.”
