Groningen shoe protest against violence and hunger in Gaza

Thousands of children's shoes were placed on a large square on the Grote Markt in Groningen on Sunday. With the "shoe protest", the Plant an Olive Tree Foundation commemorates the more than 16,000 Palestinian children who have died in the Gaza Strip since Israel began its attacks following the Hamas attack on October 7.

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Between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., well-known and unknown Dutch celebrities will read out the names of children who have not survived the war in Gaza or who have died of hunger and disease. Among them are animal rights activist Lenie 't Hart and actor Mads Wittermans.

Mostly, pairs of shoes have been discarded, but there are also shoes without a matching pair. The organization wants to draw attention to the fact that many children have lost limbs as a result of the Israeli bombing of Gaza.

This is the eighth time that Plant an Olive Tree has organized such a shoe protest. Previously, it took place in front of the Booking.com office in Amsterdam and in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague. The first time was in December last year.