More people than expected at protest in support of Afghans on Dam Sqaure

The demonstration at the Dam Square on Saturday afternoon to draw attention to the precarious situation many Afghans find themselves in attracted, more people than expected. “We expected 1,500 people, but I heard that there were at least four to five thousand people”, organizer Nadjla Akbari said.

The manifestation took place under the slogan “Every Afghan has the right to a safe life”. It was organized by Azadi, a movement started by young Dutch Afghans. It was part of the international protest movement “Stop Killing Afghans now” which held demonstrations in 15 cities in Europe and the United States on Saturday.

Several speakers, all with an Afghan background, shared their concerns about the situation in the country where the Taliban recently came into power.

With their presence on the Dam Square, the demonstrators wanted to show their opposition to “years of bloody attack and current atrocities committed by the Taliban, the negligence and misdeeds of all international parties in Afghanistan and the lack of human rights for Afghan refugees both in- and outside Europe’s border.”

“Despite everyone being sad, there was a good atmosphere”, Akbari said. During the protest a petition asking for the Dutch government to take responsibility and provide Afghan refugees with security and asylum. The petition had been signed over 18 thousand times on Saturday evening.