Protesters demand Gaza cease-fire during sit-in at Dutch parliament

By Abdullah Asiran

THE HAGUE (AA) - A group of protesters staged a sit-in Tuesday in the Dutch parliament in The Hague, the Netherlands in solidarity with Palestinians.

The demonstrators occupied the entrance hall, chanting slogans such as "The Netherlands, shame on you," "Cease-fire now" and "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

During a session held by lawmakers, another group hung a Palestinian flag in the visitors' area in the House of Representatives.

During his speech while the protest was taking place, House Speaker Martin Bosma, who is also a member of the far-right Islamophobic PVV party, said they would file a complaint against the demonstrators.

The protesters were later dragged away by police.

Speaking to Anadolu, Dogukan Ergin, a politician from the DENK party, said he felt desperate due to the massacre of innocent Palestinians and the Netherlands' silence in this regard.

He noted that Dutch citizens who peacefully express their solidarity with Palestinians are declared anti-Semitic by pro-Israel political parties.

"We are always on the side of the oppressed, and we will continue to be so," he added.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed at least 30,631 people and injured 72,043 others with mass destruction and shortages of necessities

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.