Two minutes of silence on half-empty Dam Square during National Remembrance

NOS News•today, 9:52 PM•Amended today, 10:10 PM

About 4,400 people were present at the National Commemoration on Dam Square this year. Due to a series of safety measures, and probably also the drizzly weather, about a quarter of the usual number of visitors were present at the Remembrance Day.

Despite concerns in advance about possible disruptions, there was two minutes of silence at 8 p.m.:

Two minutes of silence on Dam Square

The millions of victims of the Second World War were reflected on, but also the suffering caused by later wars. In her speech, Mayor Halsema called for protecting the legacy of peace. “By always standing up against anti-Semitism, against any form of hatred and discrimination. By cherishing our fundamental rights, just like the free press and our democracy.”

Her words seemed to refer to polarization in society. In the aftermath of the war in Gaza, the number of reports of violence or threats against Jews has increased significantly. There was also consternation at the opening of the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam last month. A report was filed for shouting anti-Semitic slogans, but the Public Prosecution Service found no evidence of this.

Because of these tensions, the mayor decided to take measures together with the police. There was less public welcome on Dam Square and visitors were searched. People had to register online in advance to attend.

It is unclear to what extent these measures led to the low turnout. “I have not heard anything about a possible boycott,” said a spokesperson for Committee 4 and 5 May. 10,000 registrations had been made, the maximum number.

“Yesterday we made another appeal: if you don’t come, cancel your reservation. People did that and then those reservations were quickly taken by others.” According to the spokesperson, this shows that there was indeed interest. “I have no explanation other than the weather that many people did not come.”

Het Parool reported that a number of registrations were for sale online via Martkplaats. When asked, the police could not say whether, and if so how many, people showed up with a QR code that had been sold. “Today we did not see all kinds of tickets that were resold,” says the spokesperson for Committee 4 and 5 May.

Watch part of Halsema’s speech here:

Halsema: ‘War gives wounds that never heal’

In her speech, Mayor Halsema called on those present to have compassion and understanding for each other. “War creates wounds that never heal. Old fears can simply flare up. At the sudden sound of a siren. When there is swearing or aggression in our streets. When images of horrific war violence enter our living rooms, our hearts.”

In the run-up to the National Commemoration, more than two hundred mosques had appealed to Mayor Halsema to mention the violence in Gaza in her speech. Partly because Halsema had paid attention to the war in Ukraine in her speech on Dam Square in 2022.

However, Halsema already announced before today’s commemoration of death that the war between Israel and Gaza would not be discussed in her speech because of her unifying role as mayor.

One arrest was made during the commemoration. At the start of the moment of silence, the man tried to display a banner, but he was arrested by officers. “It did not disturb the silence,” said a police spokesperson.

Earlier in the day, a 41-year-old man was arrested in Amsterdam for posting inflammatory messages on social media. Belgian-Lebanese activist Dyab Abou Jahjah says it concerns rapper Appa, aka Rachid El Ghazaoui. The rapper is said to have called online for the commemoration to be disrupted to draw attention to the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza.