Conspiracy theorist David Icke will speak at Amsterdam rally despite opposition

The organizers of an upcoming rally in Amsterdam said that they have no plans to revoke their invitation to allow British conspiracy theorist David Icke to give a keynote address. Samen voor Nederland is organizing the demonstration set to take place on 6 November in Dam Square. The municipality of Amsterdam strongly urged the organization to withdraw the invitation to Icke, or at least to move to another location in the city. The organization said the event would still take place on the Dam, and did not directly address the city's call to relocate.

Jewish and Israeli association CIDI announced on Tuesday that it was displeased that the controversial British man was expected to attend the demonstration, and asked the city to forbid it. According to the CIDI, Icke is an anti-Semite and Holocaust denier. The municipality subsequently reported that Icke's arrival is "very undesirable," and that it asked the immigration office, IND, to investigate whether he can be refused entry into the country.

Samen voor Nederland said they organized an interview with Icke, and it was clear that he does not deny that the Holocaust happened. The interview was conducted by Mordechai Krispijn, who organized a demonstration in Utrecht in support of the Waku Waku restaurant that was admonished for its refusal to use the coronavirus access pass system. The protest was supported by Samen voor Nederland, which grew to prominence for assembling people in protest of national Covid-19 restrictions.

In a press release, Samen voor Nederland claimed that Krispijn is Jewish, with family members who were deported during World War II. Because Krispijn gave the green light after screening Icke, Samen voor Nederland decided he could give his keynote address.

The Amsterdam mayor, along with the leaders of the district police and prosecution service believe that the stature of the National Monument on Dam Square is at stake if Icke speaks there. This is because of the social unrest which his arrival is expected to cause. According to the municipality, Icke has made anti-Semitic statements in the past that are "unacceptable and deeply hurtful."

The municipality has no intention of interfering with the content of the demonstration, it said. However, the Public Prosecution Service can act if Icke is deemed to have committed a criminal offense during his speech. "Any speech will be closely monitored by the public prosecutor to assess whether criminal statements are being made." Public order surrounding the demonstration will also be monitored, the demonstration can be moved or otherwise acted upon "if possible and necessary."

IND has not yet given a definitive answer about the possibility of refusing Icke. On the television program Nieuwsuur this week, a representative of the IND said they were taking the city's request seriously and were investigating the situation.

Since the 1990s, Icke has been spreading a conspiracy theory that claims that humanity is secretly ruled by a group of elite reptilians, a powerful collection of shape-shifting alien lizard humanoids that disguise themselves as humans. Critics believe the reptiles are a metaphor for a secret cabal of Jewish rulers who form an all-powerful world government pulling the strings behind the scenes, and are active in all walks of life.

Icke's reptile theory has been seriously referenced several times recently by Thierry Baudet, the far-right leader of the FvD political party.