By Charlotte Van Campenhout
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Amsterdam on Sunday, calling for the Dutch government to take a tougher stance against Israel's war in Gaza.
Organisers estimated that around 250,000 people joined the demonstration - a figure supported by local police. Most wore red to signal their support for a symbolic "red line" against Israel's siege of Gaza.
The 'red line march' followed a similar massive protest in The Hague in May, and was planned
weeks ahead of the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump of his plan to end the war. The PAX Netherlands organisers said they hoped for peace in Gaza, but added that Trump's plan had not changed their resolve.
Protesters of all ages weathered the rain to join a 6-kilometre (3.7 miles) march through the Dutch capital, waving Palestinian flags, chanting "Free, free Palestine" and carrying signs reading "Israel shame on you!” and "we are not free until Gaza is free”.
THOUSANDS MARCH THROUGH AMSTERDAM FOR GAZA SOLIDARITY
"We are here to condemn everything that is happening in Gaza," said 27-year old Emilia Rivero, who travelled from the central city of Utrecht. "I feel this is the least we can do, seeing the horrors in Gaza."
Organisers said the Dutch government was not doing enough to stop Israel from committing war crimes in Gaza and demanded action from politicians, just over three weeks before the Netherlands heads to the polls for a general election on October 29.
"We hope there will be a real ceasefire very, very soon and people will be protected, receive humanitarian aid, and be able to be safe. But we are also worried about the long-term commitment of Israel to stop the genocide," PAX Netherlands director Rolien Sasse told Reuters.
"We want our government to put pressure on the Israeli government, to make sure that there is a ceasefire."
Israel dismisses accusations of genocide as baseless and says its operations in Gaza are self-defence and targeted at Hamas militants who attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
DUTCH GOVERNMENT SHIFTS STANCE ON ISRAEL
Since the May rally, the Dutch government has slowly changed its stance against Israel, imposing travel bans on two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers in July, accusing them of inciting violence against Palestinians and calling for an "ethnic cleansing" of Gaza.
Last month, the government said it planned to ban imports of goods produced in Jewish settlements in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and has supported the European Commission's plans to suspend trade-related measures in a European Union agreement with Israel.
Meanwhile, the leader of the largest party in parliament, anti-Muslim populist Geert Wilders, has repeatedly voiced unwavering support for Israel.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, writing by Bart Meijer, wditing by Louise Heavens)
