Protest fears: Tickets required for national Remembrance Day ceremony in Amsterdam

Those who want to attend the national Remembrance Day commemoration on Dam Square in Amsterdam on Saturday will have to register in advance, the National Committee 4 and 5 May announced. Attendees can make a free reservation on this site.

The measure stems from the Amsterdam authorities’ decision to limit attendance to 10,000 instead of around 20,000 at this year’s commemoration. The Amsterdam authorities worry that people may want to disrupt the ceremony. Israel’s continued attacks on the Gaza Strip are causing unrest in the Netherlands, and there is a great willingness to protest, mayor Femke Halsema said earlier this month.

Amsterdam and the National Committee hopes the reservation system will also allow “vulnerable people” and people who come from far away to attend the ceremony. They want to prevent that only people who can get there early can find space.

The reservation system has three options for where to enter the commemoration. The Damrak entrance is easily accessible from the Amsterdam Central Station. The other two entrances - Rokin or Paleisstraat - are both accessible from the city center.

Visitors will be searched upon arrival at Dam Square. They are not allowed to bring flags, signs, or voice-amplifying equipment, like a megaphone, to the ceremony. Parool also reported that attendees won't be allowed to wear "free Palestine" t-shirts, though experts question the legal basis of that ban.