Some 200,000 people gathered in Amsterdam on Sunday to protest the Dutch government’s policy toward Israel, local media reported, in the latest of a series of “red line” demonstrations in which participants dress in red to form a line against alleged war crimes against Palestinians. Dutch public broadcaster NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting) reported that some people on the sidelines of the demonstration held a sign reading “We Support Hamas.” That sentiment was not shared by the organizers or the wider crowd, and NOS reporters heard participants shout that they would never support Hamas, the outlet noted.
Rolien Sasse, director of Pax, one of the organizations behind the demonstration, told Amsterdam local broadcaster AT5 ahead of Sunday’s protest that organizers were aware pro-Hamas activists might join them. AT5 noted that a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Amsterdam on October 7, 2023, also featured pro-Hamas banners and slogans. “I don’t know, and we never have that completely under control,” Sasse said, distancing the red line movement from the pro-Hamas demonstrators, “but we absolutely do not want that. But I think there are many, many more people who are in favor of human rights in a very respectful way, and that is what this demonstration is about.”
