Crowds Protest Rising Antisemitism In Amsterdam
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – Hundreds gathered in the center of Amsterdam Thursday to rally against rising antisemitism after the Dutch capital’s first pogrom since World War Two and an attack on pro-Israel group Christenen voor Israel (‘Christians for Israel’).
Many in the crowd had arrived in buses from across the country to express support for Israel and the Jewish people.
The event, titled “We Stand with Our Jews,” was to take place on Dam Square, but Mayor Femke Halsema prohibited it there, citing “difficulties to ensure safety on a busy Thursday shopping evening.”
Instead, the rally, organized by churches and groups such as Christians for Israel and Centraal Joods Overleg (Central Jewish Consultation), was moved to the Stopera, a building complex housing Amsterdam’s city hall and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet.
Several pro-Palestinian activist groups had announced on social media their intention to demonstrate at the rally, and police removed several.
“Tragically, we can’t rally at the Dam Square, which is in the center of Amsterdam near the National Monument for those killed in World War Two, most of them Jews,” said Christians for Israel Director Frank van Oordt in an interview.
He said it underscored the tensions in society after the Israëlcentrum (Israel Center) of his organization was attacked this week in the Dutch town of Nijkerk.
GRAFFITI PAINT
“Activists of the groups Extinction Rebellion, Justice Now and the Christen Collectief (Christian Collective) covered the building from left to right with graffiti paint,” recalled Van Oordt.
“They accused us of looking away from what is happening in Gaza and that we support Israel. It was shocking for me to see that ‘Christians’ participated in the attack on our building. They are members of the Christian Collective that is publicly speaking against Israel,” he said.
It wasn’t the first time that the Israel Center of Christians for Israel was attacked, and it shows that the pressure increases, Van Oordt noticed.
“However, I would not compare it with the pressure felt by the Jewish people of the Netherlands, especially after the recent pogrom in Amsterdam. If you see how the schools need protection,” Van Oordt added.
He referred to the “November 7 pogrom” when mainly Moroccan Muslims launched what they called a “Jews-hunt” in Amsterdam. The violence emerged after a soccer match between Amsterdam’s Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv teams.
Several Muslim representatives accused the Israeli soccer fans of provoking the anti-Jewish attacks by removing a Palestinian flag and shouting anti-Arab slogans. However, Halsema said that wrongdoing by hardcore soccer fans did not justify “the pogrom” that followed.
However, soon after the “horrific events,” Jews were accused, complained Van Oordt. “We want to say we are standing next to our Jews. The Jews in the Netherlands are shocked about the hate towards them. After the October 7, 2023, [massacre by Hamas], Israël became isolated as well. And we want to stand up and stand with the Jews and Israël.”
NETHERLANDS SAFE
He had a similar message Thursday during the rally, which was also attended by prominent Dutch Jewish singer Lenny Kuhr, who said she welcomed the visitors “in these historically antisemitic times.”
Kuhr, whose concert was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters this year, was disappointed about the location of Thursday’s rally.
“It could not be held at the Dam Square because Amsterdam has not been safe for Jews or those who look like Jews for a long time,” Kuhr noticed. “Where in the Netherlands are Jews still safe?” she asked herself.
“The beast is loose and is raging worldwide,” Kuhr warned.
That became clear later at night: At Amsterdam’s Central Station, Jews and their supporters were advised “not to show an Israeli flag” and, if possible, “to take off any yarmulkes” and, above all, “not to speak Hebrew.”
Similar advice was given to Dutch Jews in Amsterdam during the 1930s and 1940s. Most of them, some 104,000 in total, did not survive the Holocaust or Shoah.
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