Tens of thousands march in The Hague demanding Dutch sanctions on Israel
Tens of thousands of people gathered Sunday on the Malieveld in The Hague to protest the Dutch government's stance on Israel, forming a symbolic "red line" march toward the Peace Palace and demanding urgent political action. Human rights and aid organizations called for the Netherlands to impose firm sanctions on Israel, accusing the government of failing its obligations under international law, NOS reports.
Organizers said 150,000 people were present, while the Dutch press agency ANP estimated around 70,000. Many demonstrators were still en route to The Hague as the protest began.
Dutch Railways (NS) reported that trains into the city were overcrowded, and that not all travelers could board. Platforms at Utrecht Centraal and the station hall at Den Haag Centraal were packed, though NS described the atmosphere as peaceful.
Participants, dressed in red, marched from the Malieveld to the Peace Palace in a visual act of dissent against what they describe as government inaction toward Israel’s role in the war in Gaza.
The demonstration was organized by Oxfam Novib, Amnesty International, Pax, Save the Children, and Doctors Without Borders. Oxfam Novib reported that 35,000 people had registered in advance to participate.
“Gaza can’t wait, and the Netherlands has a heavy duty, as a signatory to the Genocide Convention, to do everything it can to stop the genocide,” the organizations wrote in a joint press release.
The organizers called on the Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof to speak at the protest. They received no response, and according to the Government Information Service, Schoof had informed the organizers in advance that he would not attend.
Sunday's event marked the second major Red Line protest in The Hague. On May 18, the same coalition of organizations claimed over 100,000 participants took part, calling it the largest demonstration in the Netherlands in two decades.
Red Line protests are also being held internationally. A demonstration took place Saturday in Montreal, with others planned in Brussels today, Stockholm on June 17, and Copenhagen on June 18.
