Protests in Amsterdam, Utrecht after PVV win; International petition against PM Wilders

Hundreds of people gathered in Amsterdam and Utrecht on Thursday evening to protest against fascism, Islamophobia, racism, and anti-queer hatred after Geert Wilders’ PVV won the Dutch election. Demonstrators also interrupted a city council meeting in Midden-Groningen with anti-PVV posters. And the international online campaign network Avaaz launched a petition against making Wilders Prime Minister.

The demonstration on Dam Square in Amsterdam was the initiative of Krakenburg020, an organization of squatters. Hundreds attended to protest for tolerance and inclusion.

Earlier in the evening, dozens of protesters staged a sit-in at Amsterdam Central Station to draw attention to the situation in Gaza. Afterward, they walked across Damrak to Dam Square, waving Palestinian flags to join the anti-PVV protest.

In Utrecht, about 400 people gathered on Stadhuisplein for a protest against the election results organized by the left-wing movement Antifa. About 50 counter-demonstrators also showed up. According to the police, it concerned the hardcore of FC Utrecht. The police kept the two groups separate.

The people who attended the Antifa demonstration, waving rainbow and Palestinian flags, were undeterred by the counter-protesters. They shouted slogans like, “PVV, get rid of it,” “Love over hate,” and “Free Palestine.”

At the request of the organizers, participants took turns speaking. A 70-year-old man of Palestinian origin spoke first and argued for a cordon sanitaire around the PVV. He also called for a national strike. “Just until the government falls.” The idea received much applause.

Another protester said he was at Stadhuisplein to show his solidarity with Muslim compatriots. “I can only imagine what a blow and how frightening this result must be for them,” he said. He wants to convey that everyone is welcome in the Netherlands. A woman spoke of “freedom and equality.”

Before the protest organized by Antifa, there was another demonstration against exclusion on Stadhuisplein, organized by local politicians from GroenLinks and PvdA. That demonstration attracted over a thousand people.

Members of Kick Out Zwarte Piet (KOZP) and Extinction Rebellion (XR) interrupted a council meeting in the municipality of Midden-Groningen. The group of about ten people, including KOZP leader Jerry Afriyie, held banners reading, “Zwarte Piet + PVV is racism,” and chanted slogans like “Down with Zwarte Piet” and “Shame on Groningen.” The council members left the chamber. Some time later, Mayor Adriaan Hoogendoorn allowed the demonstrators to have their say and speak with him briefly. After, they left the town hall under the watchful eye of the police.

Petition

The international online campaign network Avaaz launched a signature campaign online under the motto: “Don’t make Wilders Prime Minister.” The open letter to other political parties that may want to work with the PVV was posted online early Thursday evening and received over 14,000 signatures in a short time.

“The unthinkable has happened: the PVV has become the largest party, and Geert Wilders is preparing to become Prime Minister of the Netherlands. But we still have a chance to stop this. 75 percent of Dutch people did not vote for Wilders, and he can only become Prime Minister if other parties are willing to form a coalition with him,” writes Avaas. The action group asks those parties not to work with Wilders.

“Avaaz is standing up to the far right around the world, from the European Union to Brazil - and now we’re doing it in the Netherlands,” Avaaz said.

More actions planned

A broad coalition of civil society organizations will hold a “Gathering for Solidarity” on Dam Square at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The event is all about tolerance, protection of the rule of law, and equal rights for everyone. The organizations stress that this is not a demonstration and call on people to come to Dam Square only with “a light or candle, love, and as many others as possible.”

“Together, we stand for all people in the Netherlands. Shoulder to shoulder. To show that we do not tolerate racism and hatred. We belong together,” Milieudefensie, PAX for Peace, COC Nederland, Greenpeace, the Arts Union, Oxfam Novib, Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland, and the Amsterdam branches of D66, GroenLinks, PvdA, and SP, among others, write. “Our rule of law is under pressure, and we must protect it at all times.”

Several organizations will meet in Amsterdam on Monday to discuss two protests against the PVV’s election win. Abdou Menebhi, involved with EMCEMO (Euro-Mediterranean Center for Migration & Development) and the Collective against Islamophobia and Discrimination, says the plan is to hold a demonstration against “hate speech and populism” on Saturday, December 2, and then gather in various locations and cities on Sunday, December 10, for demonstrations in the context of the International Day of Human Rights.

“The plans for both actions are well advanced. We still have to make a final decision, and we want to involve as many organizations as possible,” said Menebhi. “We want to involve anti-fascists, Muslim organizations, Christians, Jews, trade unions, human rights organizations, and political parties, among others.”