Amsterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people flocked to the streets of Amsterdam on Sunday to denounce the continuing violence against Palestinians in Gaza, dressed in red and brandishing “Stop the genocide” signs.
Published on: 08/11/2026 - 17:16
According to the organizers of the so-called "red line" demonstration (Rode lijn), around 200,000 people marched to demand action from the Dutch government against Israel.
“Stop sending weapons to Israel,” urged Steven Eisinger, encountered by AFP in the procession, a red scarf around his neck.
“I am Jewish myself, I have family who currently live in Israel, and I really wanted to say: I support Palestine and I am opposed to genocide,” assured this thirty-year-old American, residing in Amsterdam.
A fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into force in October 2025 after two years of a war triggered by the deadly attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023.
But an acute humanitarian crisis still rages in the Gaza Strip, in addition to regular Israeli strikes, while settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank continues to intensify.
Unlike other European countries such as France and Belgium, the Netherlands has not recognized Palestine as a state.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten, then a candidate for the legislative elections, went to one of these demonstrations in 2025. During his weekly press conference on Friday, Mr. Jetten declared that it would now be "inappropriate" for him to participate in this mobilization.
“He’s a coward,” lamented Jan Willem de Leeuw, a demonstrator present in the procession on Sunday.
However, at the end of September the Dutch government implemented a ban on products from settlements – illegal under international law – located in the occupied Palestinian territories.
After this decision came into force, the head of Israeli diplomacy Gideon Saar announced the revocation of the accreditation of Dutch diplomats.
In 2025, similar mobilizations took place in May, June and October in The Hague and Amsterdam, bringing together record numbers for the Netherlands, notably with 250,000 participants in Amsterdam, according to the organizers.
At the end of October, the Netherlands withdrew from the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, with public broadcaster NPO citing the "sensitive" issue of Israel's participation.
© 2026 AFP
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