Respect the two minute of silence during Remembrance Day commemoration: Natnl. Committee
Wim van de Donk, the chairman of the National Committee 4 and 5 May, called on everyone to respect two minutes of silence during the National Commemoration on May 4. “I think we can ask the respect of everyone to observe the silence at that moment and to give space to the undisturbed course of events,” he said.
“We are in a situation that we did not choose, but it is necessary,” Van de Donk said about the extra measures taken for the commemoration on Dam Square due to the risk of spontaneous protests or disruptions. “We want to do this as well as possible. For the Netherlands, for all those people who stand there with sadness, thinking of the victims.”
The chairman thinks people wanting to make themselves heard on May 4 will understand his appeal. “My guess is that there will be understanding for this. We’re not doing just anything. It is extremely impressive that we do this together once a year,” he said, referring to the National Commemoration on Dam Square.
Van de Donk called it “unfortunate” that fewer people will be allowed to attend the commemoration this year. “But we feel a responsibility for the people who do come.” At the same time, he stressed that people should not stay away or be afraid. “We are doing our very best to ensure that people who want to come can be there.”
During the National Commemoration, the Netherlands commemorates the victims of the Second World War in Europe and Southeast Asia and the victims of subsequent wars and peace operations in which the Netherlands was involved.
Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam also urged everyone to “commemorate with dignity and observe the silence.” She said: “This is a very important moment for everyone in the Netherlands. We also urgently ask that if there is a disruption, continue with the commemoration undisturbed.”
Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz of Justice and Security said she supports the measures taken by the municipality of Amsterdam to ensure that the commemoration is as dignified as possible. She called it “terrible” that the measures are necessary but added: “We must ensure that we can safely commemorate those who have fallen for us in the past so that we can stand and live here in freedom.”
Yeşilgöz said she’d have “no understanding whatsoever” for people who decide to demonstrate on Remembrance Day. "If you were to use this to make a point, whatever that point is, then you really have no respect for all those people who lost family members in the Second World War. And also no respect for the freedom we have here. Freedom that ensures that you can demonstrate wherever you want at any time."
The Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) called it “very sad” that extra measures are necessary this year. Director Naomi Mestrum said she understands the concerns and is happy that Amsterdam is taking measures, “but I would have preferred if it had not been necessary.”
The National Commemoration on May 4 “concerns us all,” Mestrum said. “That there are apparently reasons to assume that not everyone can respect the two minutes of silence is a kind of moral bankruptcy, I think. Use the other 364 days to make your point, but have the respect to observe those two minutes of silence.”
Pro-Palestine groups not planning protests.
The pro-Palestinian action groups XR Justice Now, the Plant an Olive Tree Foundation, and the Dutch Palestine Committee do not plan to organize demonstrations during Remembrance Day on May 4. “Why would we do that?” said a spokesperson for XR Justice Now.
A spokesperson for the Plant an Olive Tree Foundation called it “important” to always call for justice but added that you must choose the “best suited” moments. “I personally don’t think May 4 is the best.” She is not aware of other organizations planning to demonstrate on May 4. “There may be loners who want to protest, but we have not heard of any plans.” She added that she hopes the Netherlands “links commemorating that genocide must never happen again to the present.”
The Dutch Palestine Committee won’t demonstrate on May 4 or 5, a spokesperson said. “May 4 should not be overshadowed.”
