Belgian Police Raid Code Rood Climate Activists in Major Crackdown

Federal police raided approximately 10 addresses linked to climate activist group Code Rood on Wednesday morning, arresting multiple individuals in a coordinated operation spanning East Flanders, West Flanders, and Brussels. The raids, which began around 5:00 AM, are part of an ongoing criminal investigation into criminal conspiracy, theft, and vandalism stemming from a series of protests, most notably the March 2025 blockade of agribusiness giant Cargill’s facility in the Ghent port, as reported by Het Laatste Nieuws.

Context: The Escalating Confrontation

The raids mark a significant escalation in the Belgian state’s response to climate activism, moving from managing protests at demonstrations to proactive criminal investigations involving home searches and arrests. The operation comes just over two weeks before Code Rood’s planned major action, “Unplug Techno-fascism,” scheduled for June 27-29, which the group announces on its official website.

Code Rood, founded in 2019, began as a civil disobedience movement using non-violent tactics such as road blockades and occupations. However, the group’s tactics have evolved significantly. According to an exclusive report by Het Laatste Nieuws, a confidential July 2025 report by Belgium’s Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (OCAD) warned that parts of the climate movement had radicalized, with some actions creating “acute explosion risks.”

The Cargill Blockade: Trigger for the Investigation

The investigation appears to have been triggered by a complaint filed by Cargill following the March 1, 2025 blockade of its Ghent port facility. On that day, hundreds of activists — including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg — blocked access to the site. What began as a peaceful protest escalated when activists entered the facility and caused significant property damage, including broken windows, cut data cables, and pressed emergency stop buttons.

According to Het Laatste Nieuws’s coverage of the Cargill blockade, approximately 150 people were arrested at the scene. The OCAD report later revealed that the damage was more extensive than initially reported, with activists cutting safety cables and creating conditions that could have led to gas explosions. The report stated that “the port of Ghent escaped a disaster on March 1, 2025.”

The Raids: Scope and Response

During Wednesday’s operation, police broke down doors, searched homes, and seized phones, laptops, and notebooks belonging to activists and their household members. Code Rood described the experience as “traumatic for all involved,” stating that some detainees had been released while others remained in custody pending a decision by the investigating judge on Thursday.

In a statement, the group said: “Instead of prosecuting companies complicit in genocide, ecocide, exploitation and starvation, ordinary citizens are being violently criminalized. The Belgian state is suppressing citizens who resist. The authoritarian trend is clearly continuing.”

Robin Bronlet, a lawyer representing the arrested activists, called the raids “frankly disproportionate” against peaceful activists.

Broader Legal and Political Implications

The raids occur against a backdrop of ongoing legal and political debates about how to address the radicalization of parts of the climate movement. In July 2025, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) proposed legislation to allow the government to administratively ban extremist organizations. However, the Federal Human Rights Institute issued a negative advisory, calling the proposal “insufficiently defined” with “disproportionate impact on freedom of expression and association.”

In January 2026, the Council of State ruled that only the judiciary can permanently dissolve organizations, striking down the original proposal. Quintin has indicated he will amend the proposal to comply with the ruling.

Analysis: A Movement at a Crossroads

The confrontation between the Belgian state and Code Rood reflects a broader European debate about the securitization of climate activism. The OCAD report documented a shift in the movement’s moral framework around violence, noting that some groups had abandoned peaceful protest and were actively seeking to justify violence. The report specifically cited prominent activist Anuna De Wever, stating she had “developed a much more radical vision in a short time.”

Code Rood’s own evolution mirrors this shift. The group’s stated position on property damage has moved from “we do not seek to damage equipment or infrastructure” in 2023 to “we believe all direct action tactics are legitimate” today. This shift has caused fractures within the broader climate movement, with Greenpeace and Grootouders voor het Klimaat distancing themselves from Code Rood.

What’s Next

The investigating judge is expected to decide on Thursday whether to further detain those still in custody. Meanwhile, Code Rood’s planned “Unplug Techno-fascism” action from June 27-29 looms as a potential flashpoint. The group is currently holding information sessions and action trainings across Belgium, including in Brussels, Ghent, Leuven, and Mons, suggesting the movement is preparing for a significant mobilization despite the police crackdown.

The case raises fundamental questions about the balance between the right to protest and public safety, and whether the Belgian government’s response will deter or further inflame tensions with the climate activist movement.