13 arrested at the Dam in Amsterdam during National Remembrance ceremony
Thirteen people were arrested on Monday evening during the National Remembrance ceremony on Dam Square in Amsterdam, where around 15,000 people had gathered for two minutes of silence honoring victims of World War II and later conflicts. The silence itself passed largely without incident, according to De Telegraaf, although those watching the live broadcast could hear a single, distant shout.
Nine demonstrators, including activist Frank van der Linde, were detained shortly before the 8 p.m. observance after refusing to move to a designated protest area while carrying banners, one of which read “Nooit meer is nu!”, which translates as, “Never again is now!”
Police said they were arrested for failing to comply with instructions under the Public Manifestations Act after a ban odemonstration ban had been imposed. Three additional arrests were made earlier in the evening for public order disturbances involving shouting, and one further arrest took place during the two-minute silence after an attempt to disrupt the observance.
Attorney Willem Jebbink, who represents 12 of those arrested, said soon after that nine of his clients had already been released, including Van der Linde. He added that three others were held longer for questioning, but were not likely to be jailed. Jebbink said justying the arrests by using the Public Manifestations Act was in conflict with earlier statements made by authorities.
Earlier, the National Monument was vandalized with red paint, including the word “genocide”, either late on Sunday or early on Monday morning. Officials and politicians unanimously condemned the act, with police still hunting for three suspects. Cleanup crews spent hours restoring it, with the paint removed well before the ceremony began.
National Monument ceremony attendance still lagging
The ceremony itself included the traditional placement of several wreaths on behalf of Jews, Roma, and Sinti who were deported from the Netherlands during World War II, and killed at extermination camps, as well as all Dutch people who died at home and abroad during the War, memorials for those placed in Japanese internment camps, and Dutch military personnel killed during the War and in conflicts over the past 80 years.
The first wreath placed at the National Monument was handled by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, with other individuals sharing their personal stories when they placed more wreathes at the site. The chairs of the two houses of Dutch Parliament also placed a wreath, as did Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema and Deputy Mayor Sofyan Mbarki, both from left-wing political party PRO.
Mayor Halsema called the ceremony a success. “It was a dignified and beautiful commemoration this evening on the Dam,” she said. “Thanks to the police, the emergency services, the cleaning crew and all volunteers who made this possible.”
The ceremony on Dam Square has yet to reach similar levels of attendance as before the coronavirus pandemic. Due to continuing protests after Israel's response to the October 7, 2023, invasion by Hamas launched from the Gaza Strip, authorities required attendees to register to attend the 2024 Remembrance Day memorial ceremony. Last year two people were arrested after the moment of silence for shouting “Free Palestine.”
Memorials around the Netherlands on Monday
Trains across the country stood still for the two minutes of silence, and stations fell quiet so travelers and staff could take part, a Dutch railways spokesman said. “This allowed travelers and colleagues to participate in the Remembrance,” the spokesman added.
Commemorations were held at many other sites across the Netherlands on Monday. More than 250 resistance fighters were executed by the Nazis at the Waalsdorpervlakte between The Hague and Wassenaar, where a ceremony took place at 8 p.m. A silent moment was also observed at the former concentration camp, Kamp Amersfoort, where tens of thousands were imprisoned during the war, and at the National Military Remembrance on the Grebbeberg near Rhenen.
Earlier in the day nearly 4,000 Dutch war dead were honored at the cemetery in the Gelderse Loenen with music, a minute of silence, the first verse of the Wilhelmus and wreath-layings.
About 500 people attended an alternative commemoration on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague, the second year for the event organized by former officials and diplomats. It focused on linking past and present wars.
Jaap Hamburger of the foundation Een Ander Joods Geluid told the crowd, “The dead of then are connected with the dead of now. We no longer sacrifice people to the gods, but we sacrifice them now to ideologies and delusions. Still and no different than under the Nazi dictatorship.” The organization’s website notes that civilians are “massively victims of violence” in Gaza and the broader Middle East.
