Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema banned and relocated a demonstration this evening (Thursday) against rising antisemitism in the city, citing Black Friday, which is tomorrow.
“This Thursday is one of the busiest shopping evenings of the year. There is a good chance that there will be spontaneous dissenting voices,” a spokeswoman for Mayor Halsema said. “The police do not have sufficient abilities at that location to guarantee the safety of participants in the demonstration and for the shopping public.”
The mayor's decision was criticized by pro-Israel organizations, including Christians for Israel (CFI) and the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI).
“Security was never the real issue,” said CIDI director Naomi Mestrum. “They just moved us to another place, as if we would be safer there. We are just being rejected outright.”
“We believe it is crucial for the rally to proceed, even if at a different location,” said CFI Netherlands director Frank van Oordt. “We considered legal action but determined there wasn’t enough time to pursue it effectively. Because the city council delayed the decision until the last moment, organizing the rally on Dam Square became impossible. We urge everyone to attend and make a strong statement that we, as Dutch citizens, stand with our Jewish community.”
The problem of antisemitism in Amsterdam became a global news story three weeks ago when a pre-planned large-scale pogrom was committed in the city following a soccer match between Israel's Maccabi team and AFC Ajax.
In the days leading up to the match, the pogrom was planned on social media and described as a "Jew hunt." On the night of the match, Israeli fans testified that an ambush had been prepared for them in advance at various points outside the stadium.
Israelis were beaten, stabbed, run over by vehicles, and even thrown into local rivers.