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Despite protest, a 'dignified' deportation commemoration held in Rotterdam amid some confusion
🇳🇱 Netherlands /Culture & Society

Despite protest, a 'dignified' deportation commemoration held in Rotterdam amid some confusion

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Rotterdam held a deportation commemoration despite protests against the Israeli ambassador's presence.
  • The event honored 6,790 Jewish Rotterdammers deported during WWII, with Mayor Carola Schouten attending.
  • Tensions flared during the ceremony, leading to shouting and the removal of one individual.

Rotterdam hosted a commemoration for Jewish deportations from Loods 24 on Thursday, an event marked by both solemn remembrance and public protest. The ceremony honored the 6,790 Jewish residents of Rotterdam who were deported to extermination camps starting in 1942. A monument at the site lists the names of 686 Jewish children from Rotterdam who were killed.

Would you please go to the demonstration area?

— Police officerA police officer directs a man in a mobility scooter draped with a Palestinian flag to a designated protest zone.

Mayor Carola Schouten and Israeli Ambassador Zvi Aviner Vapni attended the commemoration, which was heavily secured by police and private security. The presence of the ambassador had sparked significant controversy. Over sixty organizations had signed an open letter urging the mayor to boycott the event, citing the Israeli government's actions in Gaza and the "large-scale murder" of Palestinian children. A group of Rotterdam civil servants also requested the mayor's absence.

No, I'm not going to demonstrate.

— Man in mobility scooterThe man refuses the officer's request to move to the protest area.

Conversely, supporters, including an editorial in De Telegraaf, called for Mayor Schouten to show character and allow the Jewish community to commemorate as they wished, dismissing the protestors as "a motley crew of Israel- and Jew-hating groups and activists." The mayor, in her speech, explained her decision to attend, stating she wanted to remember "people who lived, worked, loved, and hoped here. People who were part of Rotterdam." She also acknowledged the "sorrow, anger, and powerlessness over the immense suffering in Gaza" and urged attendees to listen to each other and make space for others' pain.

Otherwise, we will have to help you.

— Police officerThe officer insists the man move to the protest area.

Despite the mayor's call for unity, the ceremony was disrupted when the ambassador was invited to speak. Shouting erupted from the audience, and security personnel intervened, leading to further commotion and the removal of one man. The event, intended as a dignified remembrance, was overshadowed by the ongoing conflict and its impact on public sentiment.

Schouten must show character, let the Jewish community commemorate as they wish and not listen to a 'motley crew of Israel- and Jew-hating groups and activists.'

— De Telegraaf editorialThe newspaper's stance on the mayor's decision to attend the commemoration.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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