A provincial councillor for the far-right PVV has admitted driving into a climate activist at a protest in Haarlem last week but told news agency ANP he saw no reason to apologise.

Ronald van Tiggelen drove through a banner that was being carried at a protest next to the provincial offices and hit the woman, who ended up on the bonnet of his car. He then drove into the car park without stopping, news agency ANP reported.

The woman said she ended up with slight concussion, as well as pain in her back and knee and has made a formal complaint.

Van Tiggelen told ANP he was not aware anyone had been hurt but admitted not braking.

He refused to apologise for the incident but said he did not want the same thing to happen again. “Then you just ensure all these clubs get media attention,” he told ANP. “You do want to make sure no one ends up with their leg under a wheel.”

Van Tiggelen, who denies that climate change is a problem, said he is often the target of climate activists at the provincial building and at his home in Zaandvoort.

The protesters, who are calling for the closure of the Tata Steel coke plant, hold regular demonstrations at the province offices, and the PVV has now changed its own regular meeting times to avoid them, ANP said.