Pro-Palestinian activists have left Piet Heinkade

The demonstrators gathered in the rain on Saturday morning near Amsterdam Central station and walked from there to the Piet Heinkade. There they partially blocked an intersection near Pakhuis de Zwijger. The activists shouted slogans such as ‘From the river to the sea,’ ‘Intifada, intifada’, ‘Not my leader not my king‘ and ‘Willem shame, blood on your hands’. A single demonstrator wore a vest with the logo of climate action group Extinction Rebellion.

The demonstration was announced by a group calling itself The Road to Free Palestine. The blockade was intended as a ‘statement against genocide’. They chose King’s Day because they believe that the king should speak out against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

The presence of a group of Orange fans on a bus that could not continue due to the blockade briefly led to unrest. A number of people briefly fought with each other until the police managed to separate them. There was also a brief argument between demonstrators and a taxi driver who wanted to attack them because he could not pass.

For a while it seemed as if the police were going to intervene, but eventually the demonstrators left the zebra crossing of their own accord. Protests are also taking place elsewhere in the city on King’s Day. For example, activists from Extinction Rebellion have blocked the A10. The police did intervene.