Hundreds of thousands join Amsterdam’s ‘Red Line’ protest against Israel

Protesters seek tighter trade restrictions on Israel and a halt to all arms sales.

More than 200,000 people have taken to the streets of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, demanding government action against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, according to the Dutch branch of Amnesty International, one of the organisers.

Sunday’s ‘Red Line’ protesters, many wearing red items of clothing, called for tighter trade restrictions on Israel and a halt to all arms sales.

“What is happening there is inhumane,” Mike van Dongen said as he walked in the huge throng of people.

“As far as I’m concerned, [the Dutch authorities] are doing nothing,” he said. “They don’t dare take any serious steps.”

As the protesters marched along a normally busy Amsterdam street that was closed to traffic on Sunday, a man stood at a bus stop with a loudspeaker shouting, “Free, free Palestine!” Many of the marchers echoed his cry as they passed.

At least 74,000 dead in Gaza

Israel’s genocidal war has killed at least 74,000 Palestinians, including 21,000 children, since October 2023.

Sunday’s protest was similar to one in early October last year. That followed ‘Red Line’ demonstrations last June when protesters marched through the streets of The Hague.

A “ceasefire” took effect in Gaza on October 10 last year, but Israeli attacks and killings have continued on an almost-daily basis since.

The war in Gaza has strained relations between the Netherlands and Israel. The Dutch foreign minister resigned last year after failing to secure new sanctions against Israel.

Since then, a new minority coalition government took power in February and introduced an import ban on products from Israeli settlements, which the Dutch government and most of the international community consider illegal – the ban provoked a diplomatic spat with Israel.

Prime Minister Rob Jetten, who took part in a march last year but was not present on Sunday, defended his government’s actions at his weekly news conference on Friday.

“Every single day and every single week, we do what we can to alleviate the terrible situation there,” he said.

He added that his administration is “exerting greater political and diplomatic pressure” on Israel to abide by its agreements on Gaza.