Protestors outside ICC demand 'justice to be served'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
28 Dec 2023 10:12
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The "Children's March" in The Hague brought together protestors of all age groups and backgrounds in front of the International Criminal Court amid the ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine.

Activists hold up a banner denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip as they demonstrate at the entrance of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, October 23, 2023. (AP)

Protesters from a variety of backgrounds, including families with young children, gathered outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) headquarters, in The Hague, to voice their steadfast support for the Palestinian cause, and demand that an investigation be launched into the Israeli atrocities against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Chanting slogans such as "ICC, do your job," "Free Palestine," and "Ceasefire now," protestors taking part in the "Children’s March" also held placards with messages like "Justice for the 9,000 Palestinian children killed" and "Stop killing children."

During the march, which was launched from The Hague train station, Bilal Riani, president of the Endulus Foundation and one of the protest organizers said, "The ICC must do its job and investigate the genocide. Those who constantly speak in the case of Ukraine remain silent when it comes to Palestine."

In turn, Larissa-Mae Hartkamp, a participant in the march, said she was concerned that the Netherlands continued to provide "Israel" with F-35 parts despite the ongoing genocide and addressed Prime Minister Mark Rutte, saying, "Rutte, stop supporting genocide."

For Hartkamp, the march served to demand a ceasefire, "justice to be served, and the ICC to do its job."

Dutch civil servants rally for Gaza ceasefire in unprecedented protest

In an unprecedented move, Dutch civil servants gathered outside the Foreign Affairs Ministry last Thursday, urging for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Approximately 150 employees of the Ministry displayed signs and unveiled a banner with the message "Civil Servants Demand Ceasefire" during lunchtime, expressing their dissatisfaction with the government's current position on the appeal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

"There's concern over the fact that the Dutch government is still not calling for a permanent ceasefire and that is in essence why we're here today," said Angelique Eijpe, a spokesperson for the group.

Eijpe said, as quoted by AFP, that she resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month over the continued Dutch position regarding the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Similar to Germany and Italy, the Netherlands refrained from voting in favor of a ceasefire during a recent UN General Assembly meeting, despite a substantial majority of countries supporting such a resolution. Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot later said the decision to abstain was due to the perceived lack of clarity in the resolution regarding "Israel's right to self-defense."