‘We Support Hamas’ sign seen in Amsterdam as 200,000 protest against Dutch Israel policy

NOVEMBER 9, 2026 12:31Updated: NOVEMBER 9, 2026 12:35Some 200,000 people gathered in Amsterdam on Sunday to protest the Dutch government’s policy toward Israel, local media reported, in the latest of a series of “red line” demonstrations in which participants dress in red to form a line against alleged war crimes against Palestinians.Dutch public broadcaster NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting) reported that some people on the sidelines of the demonstration held a sign reading “We Support Hamas.” That sentiment was not shared by the organizers or the wider crowd, and NOS reporters heard participants shout that they would never support Hamas, the outlet noted.Rolien Sasse, director of Pax, one of the organizations behind the demonstration, told Amsterdam local broadcaster AT5 ahead of Sunday’s protest that organizers were aware pro-Hamas activists might join them. AT5 noted that a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Amsterdam on October 7, 2023, also featured pro-Hamas banners and slogans.“I don’t know, and we never have that completely under control,” Sasse said, distancing the red line movement from the pro-Hamas demonstrators, “but we absolutely do not want that. But I think there are many, many more people who are in favor of human rights in a very respectful way, and that is what this demonstration is about.”Amsterdam sees its fourth red line protest in under two yearsThe red line protests began in May 2025, organized by the Dutch NGO Oxfam Novib, and the first drew around 100,000 participants. Since then, the movement has grown. Thirteen organizations backed Sunday’s gathering, including Oxfam Novib, Amnesty International, and Save the Children, according to the Dutch English-language news outlet NL Times.Demonstrators gather during a Red Line protest with the theme 'No money for genocide' outside the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam on November 8, 2026. (credit: SEM VAN DER WAL/ANP/AFP/NETHERLANDS OUT VIA GETTY IMAGES)Sunday’s protest was the fourth red line demonstration, according to NL Times, which reported that an estimated 250,000 people took part in the previous one, in October 2025.Participants are demanding that the Dutch government take stronger action against Israel.“I still believe that the Netherlands is not doing enough. This is already the third time I have taken part in this march,” one woman told NOS on Sunday. “It probably makes very little difference, but it is the only thing you can do.”Reuters contributed to this report.Follow us on Google