Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the National Liberation Day ceremony in the Dutch city of Wageningen on Sunday, May 4th, interrupting a speech by Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans. According to police, five people were arrested after breaching security barriers during the incident.
The protesters disrupted the annual event—held to commemorate the end of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands in 1945—by chanting “Free Palestine” and other pro-Palestinian slogans as the minister addressed the crowd.
The Liberation Day event in Wageningen is a significant moment in the Dutch national calendar, marking the restoration of freedom in 1945 and honoring those who fought for it.
During his remarks, Brekelmans reacted to the interruption, even being sympathetic to the cause. But the extremist protestors continued their agenda not realizing the reaction from the minister. As the demonstrators called out from the crowd, Brekelmans asked the question: “Do we look away, or do we stand up?”
The minister concluded his remarks by responding directly to the disruption, calling for unity: “I say that to the people we just saw here, hold each other tightly and don’t let each other play off each other, that is what we all have to do.”
