Pro-Palestinian protesters have disrupted a ceremony commemorating the Netherlands’ liberation from Nazi occupation 80 years ago.
As Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof lit the liberation fire on the main stage of the Liberation Festival in Wageningen in the centre of the country on May 5 — the symbolic kickoff of 14 Liberation Festivals across the Netherlands — demonstrators began booing and threw a firework bomb toward the stage.
Dozens in the crowd held up red cards signalling that Schoof was not welcome. Protesters accused his cabinet of “refusing to draw a red line against the large-scale violence committed by Israel, despite overwhelming evidence of genocide against the Palestinian people.”
When red smoke billowed over the stage, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, also present, was briefly ushered away by security but later calmly exited alongside Schoof.
Polish troops played a crucial role in liberating the Netherlands during the Second World War.
The previous evening, on National Remembrance Day, Schoof spoke publicly about his family’s personal connections to the war. His grandfather, a resistance member who helped set up an illegal telephone network, was executed by the Nazis just before they were defeated.
“Just before liberation, my grandfather was executed by the Germans for this resistance work in retaliation in Limmen [in the dutch province of North Holland],” he said. He added that his grandmother never recovered from the loss and rarely spoke about it.
Do groźnego incydentu doszło w Wageningen, podczas uroczystych obchodów Dnia Wyzwolenia Holandii. W stronę przebywających na scenie polityków, wśród których był https://t.co/v4GOCCdZYr. premier Donald Tusk, rzucono czerwoną racę. pic.twitter.com/GJnqxS830h
— tvp.info 🇵🇱 (@tvp_info) May 5, 2025
Earlier on the morning of May 5, around 300 pro-Palestinian activists attempted to block Schoof, Parliament President Martin Bosma and other cabinet members from reaching Wageningen.
Protesters held an 80-metre-long red fabric banner — a visual “red line” — and signs reading “Not then, not now, never again” and “Don’t give hate power”.
There was also a disturbance at May 5 Square in the town during a speech by defence minister Ruben Brekelmans. At least one person rushed into the square while others shouted: “Free Palestine.” Several individuals were removed by security and five were arrested.
One protester was blocked from disturbing the speech by decorated war hero Marco Kroon, who intervened and pushed the storming protester to the ground.
Wat goed om te zien dat held Marco Kroon zo snel ingrijpt bij de verstoring in Wageningen. Gewoon zonder twijfel die kant op rennen. pic.twitter.com/lLmCCaqx2K
— Martijn (@martiniplieger) May 5, 2025
Brekelmans occasionally had to pause his speech as the police intervened.
At the end of his address, he said: “I also say this to the people we just saw here: let us hold on to each other tightly and not let ourselves be divided — that is our shared responsibility.”
In reaction to the protest, Dutch politician Geert Wilders said on X: “Give them a one-way ticket to Gaza.”
Demonstranten verstoren toespraak minister in Wageningen https://t.co/2goL18wx19 pic.twitter.com/zsR3KfykLV
— Omroep Gelderland (@OmroepGLD) May 5, 2025
