Yesterday, an estimated 100,000 people dressed in red flooded the streets of The Hague in what has become the largest protest in the Netherlands in two decades.
Their demands? For the Dutch cabinet to break its silence on Israel’s war crimes in Gaza and take a firm stand against what many are formally (and finally) calling genocide.
Why was everyone wearing red?
Protest organisers asked attendees to wear red to “draw a red line” — a symbolic act meant to highlight the line the Dutch government failed to draw themselves. ❌
So far, the government has sided with the narrative of “self-defence”, insisting that Israel has a right to defend itself, even as human rights organisations and legal scholars raise alarms over the violation of international law.
According to the NOS, organisers estimate that more than 100,000 people participated, making it the most significant public demonstration in the Netherlands over the last 20 years.
Israel’s disregard for international law
The protestors marched from the Malieveld to the Peace Palace, home of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
A genocide case against Israel is currently pending at the ICJ. Last year, the court ordered Israel to take all necessary measures to protect the civilian population in Gaza and to ensure that humanitarian aid could enter the region.
However, Israel has blatantly ignored these rulings, causing an unfathomable death toll now surpassing 53,000.
As Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) emphasised, it’s not only about drawing a red line but ensuring that it’s enforced in our institutions, policies and daily choices.
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