Hundreds of people gathered on Surinameplein in Amsterdam for National Day of Awareness

About 350 people gathered on Surinameplein in Amsterdam-West on Friday evening to mark the Day of Awareness. At the Monument of Awareness, also known as the Tree of Life, speeches were held and flowers were laid.

Among others, Councillor Touria Meliani (Inclusion) gave a speech. According to her, the fact that so many people participated in the commemoration showed "how important this moment is." "Awareness is only the beginning. It's about what you do with it next," the councilwoman said. "We will continue to come here until racism and discrimination are eliminated for good."

Another speaker was Joyce Sylvester, dike warden of the Amstel, Gooi and Vecht Water Board, and chair of the state Commission Against Discrimination and Racism. She elaborated on the recommendations that a committee under her leadership had submitted to the Cabinet in 2021 to close the AOW gap for more than 30,000 Dutch nationals of Surinamese origin who were still living in Suriname from 1957 to 1975. The committee concluded that they were entitled to full retirement benefits.

"The Dutch government only decided to make a one-time donation of 5,000 euros, with all kinds of conditions attached," Sylvester said. She said she was saddened because people sent her emails full of anger and hate because of it. She called on people who are angry to contact the Dutch government. "I ask you to raise your voice," she emphasized.

There was also singing and prayer. A two-minute moment of silence was held at 8 p.m., just as on National Remembrance Day. The ceremony has been an annual tradition since 1993. Edwin Lieveld, the ceremony's coordinator, notes that much has improved since then, as he said during the ceremony on Friday. Committees have now been set up in 17 cities to organize commemorations and activities on June 30 and July 1, and initiatives such as Kick Out Zwarte Piet are raising awareness. "But we still have a long way to go," Lieveld said.

Furthermore, at the National Monument of Dutch Slavery Past in Amsterdam's Oosterpark, a wake for the ancestors, also known as Bato Neti, was held around 8 p.m. on Friday. About a hundred people came and listened to the chants.