Dutch police detain pro-Palestinian protesters on 1st anniversary of Israel-Hamas war

By Selman Aksunger

AMSTERDAM (AA) - Dutch police detained many pro-Palestinian demonstrators Monday following clashes in the capital Amsterdam on the first anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war.

The incident occurred when pro-Palestinian protesters gathered near a pro-Israel demonstration.

The pro-Palestinian group, carrying flags and banners, aimed to denounce Israeli actions.

Tensions escalated when the protesters refused to relocate to the designated area near Amsterdam Central Station.

Riot police, mounted officers and plainclothes units intervened, detaining hundreds and removing them by bus.

Some demonstrators were reportedly injured during the police action.

- Politicians criminalize protesters: Amsterdam mayor

Earlier, some politicians in the ruling People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) expressed their opposition to planned sit-ins at train stations across 16 Dutch cities in support of Palestine.

VVD members in local governments claimed these actions, scheduled for Oct. 7, supported anti-Semitism, with some suggesting that the demonstrators were “intentionally or unintentionally” legitimizing the Palestinian group Hamas.

But Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, countered this view. She said there were no valid reasons to prevent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, accusing VVD politicians of criminalizing the protesters.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 42,000 people, mostly women, and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

Exactly one year into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice due to its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Yasin Gungor