Over 200,000 take to Amsterdam streets in 'Red Line' protest, demand action against Israel

Over 200,000 individuals have taken to the streets of Amsterdam in the Netherlands on Sunday (November 9), seeking government action against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, according to the Dutch branch of Amnesty International. Many of Sunday’s ‘Red Line’ protesters, wearing red items of clothing, demanded stringent trade restrictions on Israel and a halt to all arms sales.

In the huge throng of people amid the protest, Mike van Dongen said, "What is happening there is inhumane." "As far as I’m concerned, [the Dutch authorities] are doing nothing," he said. “They don’t dare take any serious steps."

As protesters moved along an Amsterdam street that had been shut to regular traffic for the Sunday march, one man stood near a bus stop, loudspeaker in hand, chanting “Free, free Palestine!”, a call taken up by many in the crowd as they walked past.

Reports cited in the piece put the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s offensive at over 74,000, including roughly 21,000 children, since the war began in October 2023. This demonstration echoed a similar one held in early October the previous year, itself a follow-up to the ‘Red Line’ protests in The Hague the preceding June. By contrast, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international tracking sources place Israeli deaths since the October 7, 2023 attacks at more than 2,046.

Although a ceasefire in Gaza officially began on October 10 last year, Israeli strikes and casualties have reportedly continued on a near-daily basis since then. The conflict has also taken a toll on Dutch-Israeli relations, with the Netherlands’ foreign minister stepping down last year after he was unable to push through fresh sanctions against Israel.