People vs. Polluters: The Walk

at Tata Steel Ijmuiden

By Julie Thilges  | News | May 14, 2024

Cover Illustration: Gezondheid boven alles, 21-04-2024. Františka Beránková

Reporter Julie Thilges interviews an attendee of the ‘Samen voor schone lucht’ walk against Tata Steel, one of the most significant polluters in the Netherlands.

Located 30 minutes by car from Amsterdam, Tata Steel is among the most important steel manufacturers in Europe. As a significant polluter in the Netherlands, the factory has been facing a lot of controversy due to the toxic carcinogenic emissions created in the production process. These concerns date back to 1975 and manifest in worries regarding the health of residents, the environment, and water quality. Consequently, Greenpeace Nederland has been urging the Dutch government to take more responsibility. Tata Steel and the outgoing Cabinet are working towards a quick agreement about a clean-up plan, since the company has shown awareness of the issue surrounding the carcinogens on top of emphasizing that they value sustainability as well as biodiversity. On April 21 2024, Stichting FrisseWind.nu, Gezondheid op 1 and Greenpeace Nederland organized a walk at Ijmuiden (Velsen, North-Holland) to advocate concern of the residents for the environment.

Greenpeace’s project People vs. Polluters and the walk Samen voor schone lucht (Together for clean air) all have the same thing in mind: the health of the residents near Tata Steel, and the environment. To get insight into the walk at Tata Steel, Leiden master’s student Františka Beránková (24) sat down with The Amsterdammer to answer a few questions about the situation and the walk. 

 

How did you get involved in this particular project? I feel like a lot of people don’t know about Tata Steel or the negative consequences of its operations.

I think you’re right that a lot of people don’t know about the situation that’s taking place just a few kilometers away! Personally, I got involved because I am a volunteer with Greenpeace Greenact, and get newsletters from Greenpeace about their ongoing campaigns and ways to participate. For a long time, I also wasn’t aware of how bad the pollution was from Tata Steel, and recall spending many carefree days at the beach with the factory’s chimneys lining the horizon. I first heard more about it after Greenpeace’s mass action against Tata Steel in June 2023, and have since kept up to date on the residents’ lawsuit and further environmental investigations. So when Greenpeace started promoting their current Samen voor schone lucht campaign, I felt compelled to help in any way I could. Through getting involved, the more I heard about how badly affected the residents are, the stronger I felt about the issue.

How exactly are the residents affected? 

The impact on anyone living in the surrounding area is incredibly alarming. Findings from official investigations by the RIVM (the National Institute for Public Health and Environment) conclude that the factory is the main source of dangerously high levels of lead, PAHs, and carcinogens in the region, and that these are not decreasing despite Tata Steel claiming otherwise. Alongside odor, dust and noise from the factory causing nuisance for the residents, there are also very real health risks. Emissions caused by Tata Steel have been directly linked to significantly higher rates of cancer and a life expectancy shortened by 2.5 months for those living in the area. The carcinogenic substances released by Tata Steel have also been proven more dangerous than expected; for example, long-term exposure to the current levels of lead can cause permanent brain damage, especially in children.

Tata Steel we zijn er ziek van, 21-04-2024, Františka Beránková

Did you talk to residents there?

Absolutely; this whole campaign was meant to voice the concerns of those directly affected. The supporting organizations worked together to collect over 1,500 messages from locals, neighbors, and their loved ones, which were given either in-person, via phone call, or in writing. These were all very personal, direct quotes, ranging from short, simple messages such as ‘omdat ik hier woon’, ‘het stinkt’, ‘ik wil geen kanker’, and ‘gezondheid boven alles’, to long, detailed stories of years of illness and loss. While copying hundreds of these down for the banner, I remember being especially stricken by the messages sent in by concerned parents, many of whom described the fear and helplessness of having a newborn or raising their children in the area, knowing they are unsafe but not having the ability to move away.

Why was it called a walk instead of a protest? The website states that it does not have the character of a typical demonstration, but that it’s a walk for people who are worried about the situation. Why this distinction?

This distinction is important and one I wish to make clear. This situation is quite nuanced and sensitive, precisely because many people could argue that Tata Steel is a good employer, that they are beneficial for the economy, and that stronger climate measures would threaten the job posts of their committed workers. Of course, we understand this. Importantly, the walk is not meant as a protest against the factory workers themselves; I empathize with their perspective. They are not the ones responsible, and in fact, many of them live in the area themselves. So, this is not meant with any hostility — we were merely walking in solidarity as locals, neighbors, and loved ones, wishing to voice our concerns.

“I remember being especially stricken by the messages sent in by concerned parents, many of whom described the fear and helplessness of having a newborn or raising their children in the area, knowing they are unsafe but not having the ability to move away.” – Františka Beránková

What was the set-up for the walk? How long did the event take place? How did it all go down in the end?

The walk began in IJmuiden and  was around 5 kilometers along a predetermined route towards Tata Steel’s main entrance. A group of people led at the front of the crowd, carrying a main banner with the Samen voor schone lucht slogan and logos of the supporting organizations, as well as one person carrying a large sun. This was followed by a band, who accompanied the beat of our steps with drumming. Then came the rest of the crowd, amidst which eight of us volunteers were interspersed, carrying the long connected banner of locals’ messages. Other practical set-ups included a medic and a crowd control team who kept an eye on traffic along the way. The walk ended up taking longer than expected, but for good reason; we took our time, had meaningful conversations along the way, disrupted traffic, and cheered for the Greenpeace climbing team who had slung a banner on a Tata Steel pipeline. The walk was impactful visually as well and helped form a strong atmosphere of solidarity among the crowd. When we made it to the end point, we were welcomed by warm tea and ‘hapjes’ before taking a group photo with a banner saying ‘wij willen schone lucht’, the letters of which were made up of 11,000 signatures supporting the campaign. We then heard from a few keynote speakers, including Karoly Illy, the director of Longfonds, environmental researcher and citizen lobbyist Thomas Goorden, spoken word artist Sandy Bosmans, and local activist singer Laura Kits. The banner of locals’ messages was also handed over to representatives of FrisseWind.nu, who will bring it forth to the Minister van Economische Zaken en Klimaat. The day then concluded with a ‘pendelbus’ taking us all safely back to the starting point.

Wij willen schone lucht, 21-04-2024, Františka Beránková

What do you hope will be the outcome of this walk?

The aim of this walk was simply to give a voice to, and make visible, the concerns of residents living near Tata Steel. If this campaign made even one person feel less alone or feel as though their concerns are not going unheard, it was a success. From the conversations I had with locals during the walk, there was so much mutual gratitude for simply showing up and taking action to support each other. To me, that is the main outcome here. Of course, there are also more concrete steps I would like to see taken, and by continuing to voice our concerns, the hope is to keep up the pressure on both Tata Steel’s executives and the Dutch government. The most immediate goal is calling for the closure of the most polluting and health-damaging parts of Tata Steel, which include cooking factories that are far older than the accepted lifespan and should have been closed long ago. However, they are currently still allowed to remain open despite construction defects and long term leaks, which are illegally releasing carcinogenic substances into the atmosphere. Although agreements are being made towards a greener future for Tata Steel, the current plans are not sufficient and not fast enough. Ultimately, the goal of the walk was thus to come together and send a message to Tata Steel and the Dutch government, namely to put our health first.

If you want to know more about Tata Steel, Staal gives great insight into the inner workings of the factory, the workers, the residents, and the individual perspectives and worries. You can also visit Greenpeace Nederland for further information and opportunities to take action on this and other missions.

Julie Thilges is a university student in Amsterdam. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Amsterdammer. 

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