Tens of thousands rally for Gaza in Netherlands, Belgium / Photo: ANP KOEN VAN WEEL - ANP/AFP
Tens of thousands rally for Gaza in Netherlands, Belgium
Tens of thousands of people dressed in red marched through the streets of The Hague and in Brussels on Sunday to demand more action from their governments against what they termed a "genocide" in Gaza.
In France on Saturday, thousands of other people joined similar protests, as part of a weekend mobilisation around the world against the Israeli offensive in the Palestinian territory.
Some 150,000 people participated in the march in the Hague, according to organisers.
In Brussels, where protesters were also calling for action from the EU, turnout was estimated at 110,000 by organisers and 75,000 by police.
Rights groups such as Amnesty International and Oxfam organised the demonstrations, which were aimed at creating a so-called "red line" on the issue.
With many waving Palestinian flags and some chanting "Stop the Genocide", the demonstrators in the Dutch city turned a central park into a sea of red on a sunny afternoon before a march towards the International Court of Justice.
Protesters brandished banners reading "Don't look away, do something", "Stop Dutch complicity", and "Be silent when kids sleep, not when they die".
- Protesters condemn 'genocide' -
Organisers urged the Dutch government -- which collapsed on June 3 after a far-right party pulled out of a fragile coalition -- to do more to rein in Israel for its military offensive on the Palestinian territory.
"More than 150,000 people here dressed in red -- and a clear majority of the Dutch population -- just want concrete sanctions to stop the genocide in Gaza," said Michiel Servaes, director of Oxfam Novib, a Dutch branch of the international aid group.
"We demand action now from our government," added Servaes.
Dodo Van Der Sluis, a 67-year-old pensioner, told AFP: "It has to stop. Enough is enough. I can't take it anymore."
Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "To all those people in The Hague I say: we see you and we hear you."
"In the end, our goal is the same: to end the suffering in Gaza as soon as possible."
In Brussels, many families were seen taking part, with the crowd yelling "Free free Palestine!" and aiming invective at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A large sign noted that Netanyahu was "Wanted for Crimes Against Humanity", referring to an ICJ warrant out against him.
In Paris on Sunday, meanwhile, a dozen protesters began a march to Brussels to demand EU sanctions on Israel.
The group, which includes a French actress, Corinne Masiero, wants the European Union "to hear the voice of civil society reminding it of its duties", said Nathalie Tehio, head of the NGO Human Rights League.
The marchers want EU officials to meet with them on June 23, when a regular meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers is to be held.
The Gaza war was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
That assault resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
The militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 54 are still thought to be held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military has said are dead.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 55,207 people, the majority of them civilians.
The United Nations considers the figures reliable.
The International Court of Justice is currently weighing a case brought by South Africa against Israel, arguing its actions in Gaza breach the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
Israel strongly rejects the accusations.
O.Meyer--VZ
