On Sunday, May 18, it is estimated that more than 100.000 people in the Netherlands took part in the largest protest the country has seen in 20 years. The mass demonstration in The Hague was a march against the Dutch government’s stance on Israel and the war in Gaza.
Red line drawn in largest Dutch protest in 20 years
According to NOS, the protest was initiated by various aid and human rights organisations and pro-Palestinian groups, including Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, and Save the Children, among others. The demonstrators, numbering more than 100.000 people, wore red to symbolically draw a red line against the actions of Israel in Gaza that organisers believe the Dutch government has not drawn itself.
Up until now, the cabinet has emphasised Israel’s right to self-defence, while human rights organisations have drawn attention to the violations of human rights in Gaza. According to demonstrators, the government has not drawn a hard line; instead, it has chosen to condemn the behaviour and increase pressure rather than issue sanctions.
Mass protest in The Hague passed peacefully
Protestors marched in a peaceful procession from the Malieveld to the Peace Palace, where the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is located. The ICJ currently has a genocide case against Israel pending and ruled last year that Israel must protect the civilian population of Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, which Israel ignored.
Police reported that the demonstration passed peacefully. Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp (NSC) did not comment on the protest, but a few days prior to the demonstration, did report that the government is concerned about the situation in Gaza, condemning Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Netherlands also started taking several diplomatic steps, threatening to block new agreements of cooperation with Israel in the EU.