Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Amsterdam on Sunday, calling for the Dutch government to take a more stringent stance on Israeli war in Gaza, Reuters reported.
Organizers estimated that around 250,000 people attended the demonstrations – numbers backed by local police. Mostly dressed in red to show support for the symbolic “red line” of Israel’s siege of Gaza.
Protesters of all ages have overcome the rain, passing through the six-kilometer (3.7 miles) of the Dutch capital, waving Palestinian flags, chanting “free and free Palestine,” and having signs read as “reading the shame of Israel.” “We’re not free until Gaza is free.”
“We’re here to condemn everything that’s going on in Gaza,” said 27-year-old Emilia Libero, who traveled from the central city of Utrecht. “Looking at the horrors of Gaza, I feel this is the least we can do.”
Organizers said the Dutch government was not enough to stop Israel from committing war crimes in Gaza, and that it called for politicians to take action more than three weeks before the Netherlands headed for the polls for the October 29 general election.
“We hope that there will be a very soon, very ceasefire and people will be protected, humanitarian aid and safe. But we are also concerned about Israel’s long-term commitment to stop genocide.”
“We hope to put pressure on the Israeli government and make sure there is a ceasefire.”
Israel has dismissed the genocide accusations as baseless, saying that the operation in Gaza is self-defense and targets Hamas fighter jets that attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
MNA