Extra security around WWII Commemoration: Fewer people, no flags, and everyone searched
Amsterdam is taking extra measures to prevent disruptions to the National Commemoration of the Second World War on Dam Square on Remembrance Day, May 4. Far fewer people will be allowed to attend, flags and signs are banned, and the police will search everyone, mayor Femke Halsema decided in consultation with the authorities and the National Committee for 4 and 5 May.
There is no additional fear of attacks during the national Remembrance Day commemoration, but the Amsterdam authorities worry that people may want to disrupt the ceremony. Israel’s continued attacks on the Gaza Strip are also causing unrest in the Netherlands, and there is a great willingness to protest.
“We cannot be naive. We cannot pretend that nothing is happening,” Halsema said during a press conference in Amsterdam, RTL Nieuws reports. “It is essential that if a disruption occurs, we are prepared.”
The emergency ordinance for the national commemoration states that only 10,000 attendees will be allowed on Dam Square. In other years, approximately 20,000 people attended. The attendees will be divided into sections so the police can intervene more quickly if there is a disruption.
Attendees are not allowed to bring flags, signs, or sound-amplifying equipment, such as megaphones or speakers. The police will search everyone who attends the commemoration. As in previous years, all windows and doors overlooking Dam Square must be closed during the commemoration. Locals are also not allowed to stand on their roof terrace or balcony.
The city won’t allow any demonstrations near Dam Square, but demonstrations can happen in other places in the city that are out of sight and earshot of the commemoration. “The freedom of demonstration in the Netherlands is broad but has limits. The National Commemoration on May 4 is one of them,” Halsema said. “It is very important that the commemoration is respectful, dignified, and controlled. That moment leaves no room for spontaneous actions or disruptions. Demonstrations and other protests are placed at an appropriate distance.”
Halsema stressed that there is no increased risk of a terrorist attack on the commemoration this year. But the conceivability of a disturbance - someone shouting during the ceremony or waving a flag, for example - is greater given everything that is going on in the world. “If you want to be sure that there are no disruptions, you will end up with an empty Dam Square or a Dam Square where a limited number of invited guests are present. But because it is a national commemoration, we think it is very important that the general public can come, if to a limited extent.”
