Parallel to the demonstrations across the Atlantic in the US against dictatorship, the massive “Red Line” demonstration at The Hague on Sunday—joined by over 150,000 people across the country—was the second of its kind within a month, marking a growing wave of popular opposition to the genocide in Gaza and the complicity of the Dutch and broader European ruling class.

Since the first demonstration of its kind held last month, the Dutch government has collapsed, and a caretaker administration led by former spy and unelected prime minister, Dick Schoof, has pledged to increase its military budget up to 5 percent of its GDP ahead of the upcoming NATO summit and in the backdrop of the intensifying imperialist war in Iran.

Despite the militancy and the growing mass attendance, the protest was politically undermined by the bankrupt moral appeals issued by its organisers, comprising Oxfam Novib, Amnesty International, PAX and Save the Children, at the very imperialist powers and their government representatives responsible for enabling and being directly complicit in Israeli atrocities.

The organisers limited their pleas to calls for sanctions, arms embargoes and a review of EU-Israel agreements, serving the illusion that genocide and war can be stopped through the very same institutions—the EU and its national governments, a significant few of them seasoned former colonial powers—that have abetted themselves with a continuous record of imperialist war aims.

By refusing to name the capitalist system as the driving force behind endless wars abroad and the aggressive militarisation at home, the organisers of the protest uphold the legitimacy of the political establishments in The Hague to justify their role as lobbies for liberal reformism.

The turnout at The Hague, as well as in a similar protest in Brussels that attracted 100,000, is part of an international reawakening of mass working class opposition to imperialist war, and must decisively break from the confines of the dead end of pressure politics.

Below are interviews conducted by WSWS reporters, who were present at the Hague protest, distributing leaflets and holding several lengthy discussions with protesters, fighting for a politically independent, internationally unified, socialist movement of the working class against war, austerity and genocide.

Petko

“This is my first protest against the genocide in Gaza. I read about the previous one on May 18 in The Hague, and I thought to join this time. It is quite inspiring to see so many people are against the genocide. I organised a few people from my city and took the train to come down here. This is the right thing to do.”

As the WSWS reporter raised the question of the fight for a socialist society, he continued:

“I am from Bulgaria. Due to the betrayal of Stalinism, the word ‘socialism’ has been seen as a dirty word in Bulgaria. As I understand it, socialism is about the unity of all workers and freedom for all workers. A liberated Palestine means a liberated Middle East—that means a huge threat to capitalism. They will not allow that to happen.

“Seeing the news online, for me it is very difficult to stay optimistic, but these are the moments that give me courage and inspire other people too. If we are hopeless and cynical, nothing will change.”

To the question of whether the Dutch ruling class could change its policy toward Israel due to the protest, he continued:

“I am quite pessimistic about that. The governments actually don’t care—because we all live under capitalism, and the governments only care about their capital, their money.”

Niels

“I feel a deep sense of shame that the Dutch government bears partial responsibility for the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It is imperative that I raise my voice in protest against this genocide.

“The images we have witnessed are harrowing, and it is crucial to recognise that the situation extends beyond Israel’s actions; numerous other countries—particularly the United States and the European Union—are complicit in this tragedy.

“This is not an isolated issue; it is part of a broader, global movement against the genocide in Gaza.”

Ronald

“In January of this year, I visited the West Bank during a particularly tense period. I witnessed the devastating images of destruction in Gaza and the tragic loss of Palestinian lives. Today, I stand in protest against the Dutch government’s policy towards Israel. The Netanyahu administration has openly stated its genocidal intentions towards the Palestinian people, and there is no denying this reality.

“It is imperative that we oppose and put an end to these actions. We cannot allow such atrocities to go unchallenged. If we permit the ongoing genocide in Gaza to continue unchecked, we risk setting a dangerous precedent that could lead to further aggression against other nations, such as Iran, Jordan or beyond. We must ask ourselves: where does it stop?”

WSWS reporters also had numerous discussions with refugees from countries that have been ravaged by the US-led imperialist wars since 1991. They come from Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and Sudan, and have all traversed the Mediterranean and are currently residing in the Netherlands with legal status. However, given the vicious anti-immigrant and refugee backlash from the ruling elite and media in service of neo-fascistic regimes across Europe and internationally, they were reluctant to reveal their identities for reporting. One Afghan refugee, who was holding an Iranian flag, stated in reference to the war in Iran, “If America starts a war, we know how it will end!”