4 mei 2024 om 20:20 Update: 38 min. geleden
The National Commemoration on Dam Square in Amsterdam took place without major incidents on Saturday. During the two minutes of silence from 8 p.m. it was quiet on and around Dam Square. At the start of the moment of silence, a visitor was taken away by the police.
The man wanted to unfold a banner. He is part of a group of demonstrators who drew attention to the political situation in Uganda. The incident did not disrupt the two minutes of silence, the police reported. The man has been arrested.
Out of fear of protests or disruptions due to the war in Gaza, extra measures were taken around Remembrance Day. People had to register in advance and could only enter with an admission ticket.
The Dam was accessible in three places. Visitors were thoroughly searched by the police before they were allowed onto Dam Square. Flags, amplifiers and signs, among other things, were not allowed.
The 4 and 5 May Committee estimated that approximately 4,400 people were present, including 1,500 guests. Ten thousand people were welcome. During previous years there were about twenty thousand people on Dam Square.
Those present saw how King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, among others, laid a wreath. Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, relatives of war victims, representatives of the Dutch armed forces and the presidents of the Senate and House of Representatives also laid wreaths.
For example, the king stood still for two minutes during Remembrance Day
Commemoration on Waalsdorpervlakte also went smoothly
Municipalities across the country were extra alert to disruptions and protests in connection with the situation in Gaza. They had taken extra measures.
The Remembrance Day commemoration on the Waalsdorpervlakte in the dunes between The Hague and Wassenaar also took place without incident. The two minutes of silence from 8 p.m. are not disturbed.
The memorial service on the Waalsdorpervlakte was freely accessible, unlike the National Remembrance on Dam Square. About three thousand people attend every year. This year they also watched how the Bourdon bell was rung.
During the Second World War, around 250 resistance fighters were shot by the German occupiers on the Waalsdorpervlakte. After the war, several infamous NSB members were also executed in the dune area between Wassenaar and The Hague, such as Max Blokzijl and Anton Mussert.
