Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin announced that he would investigate allegations of anti-Semitism and incitement towards violence and hatred during pro-Palestinian rallies held in the Netherlands over the past two weeks. Hirsch Ballin said that he would ask police about concerns in the rallies, and look at whether the public prosecutor had taken appropriate action if violations of the law were found.
Several pro-Palestinian rallies were held spontaneously in many cities throughout the Netherlands, without a permit or the permission of authorities – Amsterdam, the Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht were among these cities. In Amsterdam, Jewish and Muslim youth convened for a “shalom/salaam/peace” ice-skating event, initiated by Jewish youth calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
