Amsterdam: Europe and the Arabs
Amsterdam, like many European cities and capitals, witnessed a national demonstration denouncing Israel's policy of mass killing against the Palestinian people in general and the people of Gaza in particular. The Amsterdam demonstration, which was attended by large numbers, was described by some as one of the largest demonstrations, with the number possibly reaching nearly a quarter of a million people. It was organized by Dutch civil and human rights organizations, as well as others of various nationalities, under the slogan "The Red Line."
The demonstration passed through various major streets, starting from Museum Square, passing through Vondelpark and the southern neighborhoods of Amsterdam known for their Jewish populations. This is the second demonstration, following the first, which drew approximately 200,000 demonstrators. Participants in the demonstration set out to send a clear message to the coalition government, which has expressed support for Israeli policies and has not banned the arming of its army, as some European and Latin American countries have done. Many political and trade union groups from various Dutch cities participated to send a strong message that the Dutch people have chosen to stand with Gaza and completely reject the horrific massacres being perpetrated against Palestinian children and women. According to what our colleague Nourredine Al-Amrani wrote from Amsterdam, who added, "On the same day, supporters of Israel organized a stand in what they called a denunciation of the October 7th 'massacre'. The participation of the entity's ambassador and the Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, who has been severely criticized by human rights and civil society organizations for pushing the political agenda of right-wing and far-right parties, referring to the parties that make up the government coalition represented by Geert Wilders and the Liberal Party led by Yselke, who is of Kurdish origin, and the Social Contract and Peasant Party parties. National organizations such as Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, and Novib distributed leaflets during the national march calling on the Dutch to block the path of extremist parties in the upcoming November 29th legislative elections, which are premature elections after Geert Wilders left the government and submitted the resignation of his party for his failure to meet the challenges imposed by the Dutch arena. He was followed by the Social Contract Party, which also failed to translate its ideas and paid the price for partnership in a coalition government with An extremist party with no political or economic platform, the party builds its ideas to appease the feelings of the Dutch people, claiming that the Netherlands is facing the threat of Islamization and an influx of refugees, and that it is prepared to implement a strict policy towards immigrants and refugees. However, it left the government, leaving the cabinet inactive and without significant powers.
This came after major demonstrations took place in Rome, Barcelona, ​​and Madrid, as well as in Paris and Dublin. Hundreds of people rallied in London despite the British government's call not to demonstrate after Thursday's attack outside a synagogue in Manchester.
For example, in Rome, approximately one million demonstrators, according to organizers, and 250,000, according to police, took to the streets of the city center, chanting "Stop the genocide," amid a heavy police presence.
"I usually don't support large demonstrations, but today I couldn't stay home," Donato Colucci, a 44-year-old scout leader, told AFP.
Several American cities, including Washington, D.C., and New York, witnessed rallies and demonstrations in which thousands gathered to express their rejection of the ongoing genocidal attacks in Gaza.