An anti-Israel activist was arrested for vandalizing an Amsterdam World War II memorial ahead of a protest on Saturday, Amsterdam Police confirmed on Monday.
The activist was interrogated by law enforcement and released after he spray-painted the words “Never again is now” on the Nationaal Monument op de Dam. Police said that his file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service for their discretion.
Party for Freedom chairman Geert Wilders slammed the vandalism on social media, calling protesters “pro-Hamas thugs” and demanding their apprehension and deportation. Wilders also expressed distaste that the perpetrator was released from custody.
Activists in Amsterdam protest Israeli actions in Gaza war
A coalition of activist groups had organized a march that day to protest alleged Israeli actions during the Israel-Hamas War.
“Israel murders journalists. Uses hunger as a weapon. Pushes for the full annexation of Gaza,” said Internationale Socialisten on Instagram on August 12. “Our government refuses to act. We say, ‘Enough.’”
Activists marched in the street banging pots, waving Palestinian flags, and carrying bloodied press flak jackets. Symbolic coffins were placed by the Dutch national monument to represent journalists killed during the Israel-Hamas War.
“Never again” is a phrase associated with the Holocaust, with the version painted on the monument serving in information campaigns about the Holocaust and against Holocaust denial.