Far-right MP wants Amsterdam mayor sacked for allowing pro-Palestinian rally on Oct. 7

PVV MP Marco Deen plans to ask Interior Affairs Minister Judith Uitermark to fire Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. Other MPs strongly criticized Deen after he made his remarks during a Wednesday debate about the budget for the Ministry of Interior Affairs.

For Deen, just like PVV party leader Geert Wilders, this is a result of Halsema’s official response to a pro-Palestine demonstration during the memorial service for the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. “Once again, the mayor let violent activists get close to the commemoration,” said Deen.

Amsterdam police did prevent the protesters from getting to the Dam Square memorial services. Halsema responded further by officially declaring an end to the pro-Palestine rally, with police then arresting 322 demonstrators and moving them away from the city center.

Deen’s remarks should be viewed as, “An attack on the office of mayor,” said Joost Sneller of D66 in response. “In doing this, you are undermining the rule of law.”

Deen pointed out that the possibility of firing someone from their position as a mayor of a municipality is written in the law. “You can’t get much more constitutional than that.”

“Not everything that can be done must be done,” Deen retorted.

Michiel van Nispen of SP and Glimina Chakor of GroenLinks-PvdA think that Deen was going out of his way to cause commotion in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament. They felt he was taking up precious time by distracting from urgent issues like poverty and slim municipality finances.

“They bring out a trick and a diversion when they do not have a solution,” said Chakor. “What are you going to do to support the municipalities, to help 150,000 children that are living in poverty?” According to Deen, this has been discussed extensively before. He said Chakor does not dictate topics that can be introduced in parliamentary debates.

Halsema was supported by other mayors, and also by the Cabinet, after Geert Wilders had said on Monday in a message on X that Halsema should leave the country along with the “scum” protesting against Israel. Deen did not want to “review” that message when pressed on it.

Silvio Erkens of the coalition party VVD also did not support Deen’s call. “We as a parliament are not going to send mayors home.” Erkens also said that he preferred to talk about substantive policy rather than this issue. Sandra Palmen, a member of NSC along with Uitermark, also did not support Deen. “This attack on the mayor touches me deeply in the heart,” she said.

At the end of his speech, Deen spoke about “violent antisemitism which has been facilitated by Mayor Halsema.” This led to the chair of the debate, Tom van der Lee, getting involved as Halsema was unable to defend herself in parliament. “I ask you to retract those comments. If you fail to do this, then you will be suspended.” Deen retracted the comments.

“I will no longer accept the accusation of anti-Semitism or facilitating anti-Semitism,” Halsema said during the City Council meeting in the capital on Wednesday afternoon. She also reiterated her statement that the Palestinian demonstration could not take place at any other location than on Damrak, up the road from Dam Square.

After questions from Council Member Cas van Berkel of the JA21 party, she responded to the allegation that she facilitated anti-Semitism by allowing the pro-Palestinian rally in the first place. She then added a remark seemingly meant for JA21 and the PVV, both far-right parties with nationalistic stances.

She said she will not accept such criticisms moving forward, “and certainly not, and I am saying this in general terms, if it comes from people who discriminate against Moroccans and Muslims at the same time. And in doing so, they show that they do not understand what the fight against racism means, and that anti-Semitism is a part of that” Her remark was met with the loud support of council members using their hands to thump on their desks.

Halsema had already said on the talk show Eva on Tuesday night that a counter-demonstration must, by law, be allowed to take place within earshot and sight of whatever they are protesting against, and that the Damrak was the least risky location. Nevertheless, there were several confrontations between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel supporters.

She repeated these comments again in the City Council meeting. The mayor was asked about the rallies and response by JA21, VVD, Volt, Lijst Ahmadi-Veldhuyzen, PvdA, D66, and her own party, GroenLinks. She also repeated that she felt that the counter-demonstration held on October 7 was distasteful. “But taste cannot be a reason to deny people their right to demonstrate.”

Halsema also maintained that the pro-Israel demonstration went well on the Dam despite a few incidents, and that maximum effort was made to ensure it went this way. “So there was good enforcement.”

Most visitors to the demonstration were brought to the Palace on the Dam by bus so that “a safe arrival” could be guaranteed. The organization was also informed in advance of the counter-demonstration.

The mayor joked about Wilders’ comments on X after VVD member Daan Wijnants said on behalf of the City Council that she is allowed to remain on the job. “I am incredibly pleased that I am allowed to stay. And if you are thinking of a different location for me, then I’d like to go to Barcelona.”

Uitermark responded to Deen’s request with a short answer: “No.” Uitermark spoke to the press straight after the debate to respond to Deen’s request. "There is not a single thought in my head that would consider presenting her resignation to the king now."

She added that she was very surprised by Deen’s request. “Our mayors deserve support. They really have to make local decisions every day in difficult circumstances. As mayor Halsema has now done." Halsema is doing well, Uitermark thinks. "So I reject this wholeheartedly.”