XR activists are dripping butyric acid over themselves in action against Fast Fashion in Nijmegen

Some activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) sprinkled themselves on Saturday afternoon in a branch of clothing store Zara in Nijmegen with drops of butyric acid. That is a colorless liquid that spreads a strong smell and can cause headaches and nausea. XR had known in advance to distribute butyric acid in the protest, on which the Nijmegen mayor Hubert Bruls a ban issued for actions in which butyric acid is spread. Bruls relies on ‘safety and health risks’.

Extinction rebellion sets her website: « To emphasize that the action is not harmful, but the industry, the activists drip the filthy stinking stuff over their own body. » With the campaign, XR was defended against « climate damage and other human rights violations » in the clothing sector. The activists wanted « the chemical, manipulative perfumes of Zara dominate by the true scent of fast fashion. »

Zara is one of the largest providers of Fast Fashion worldwide. In recent years, pressure on companies such as Zara, H&M and Primark to improve the mostly difficult working conditions in the factories where they have clothing produced. For example, a report from the British NGO Business and Human Rights Resource Center (BHRRC) appeared in 2023 showed that workers in Myanmarse clothing factories are regularly confronted with intimidation and abuse, While their wages is sometimes not paid unlawfully. Both Zara and H&M and Primark announced from Myanmar departure.

Three people were arrested during the Nijmegen campaign, reports ANP news agency. Mayor Bruls speaks of « a scandalous action. »

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