February Strike Commemoration In Amsterdam Overshadowed By Controversy (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – The 85th anniversary commemoration of a strike in Amsterdam against the deportation of Jews to Nazi death camps was overshadowed Wednesday by pro-Palestine protests and a controversial speech.

The annual ceremony was held February 25 in the Dutch capital at the Dokwerker monument on Jonas Daniël Meijer Square, marking the February Strike of 1941. It was a rare mass protest in Nazi-occupied Europe in which Dutch workers struck against the persecution and deportation of Jewish citizens.

The strike began on February 25, 1941, after violent German raids in Amsterdam’s Jewish neighborhood led to the arrest of more than 400 Jewish men. Tens of thousands of Amsterdammers stopped work for three days in protest.

The strike later spread to the Zaan region and the Dutch cities of Haarlem, Utrecht, and Hilversum, becoming the first significant act of resistance against the German occupiers and their persecution of Jewish residents.

In 1946, Queen Wilhelmina honored Amsterdam for its wartime stance by granting the city the motto: “heroic, resolute, and compassionate.” However, critics note that resistance in the Netherlands during much of the war remained limited to relatively small groups, and that the country lost a higher percentage of its Jewish population than any other Western European nation. Of the roughly 140,000 Jews living in the Netherlands before World War II, about 102,000 — approximately 75 percent — were murdered in the Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND HOLOCAUST IMPACT

“I still recall those raids as a small boy; it was frightening when they looked for Jews whom my granny was hiding,” recalled journalist Johan Th. Bos, a contributor to Worthy News. “They could escape in time,” he added.

Speaking at the Dokwerker memorial, Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Rutger Groot Wassink linked the historic strike to contemporary challenges.

“How should we respond to the rise of modern fascism? What is our stance on contemporary intolerance and bigotry? What sacrifices are we willing to make for a just society?” he asked.

He described the 1941 protest as “a compass, a guiding point,” expressing hope that “we always stand with those who are most in need.”

Jaïr Stranders, chairman of the Committee for the 1941 February Strike Commemoration, said the strikers “opposed a fascist regime, dehumanization, and discrimination for many reasons. Let that serve as an inspiration for all of us today.”

POLITICAL TENSIONS AND CONTROVERSY

Activist Jerry Afriyie also addressed the gathering. Afriyie is known for his role in Kick Out Zwarte Piet (KOZP), a Dutch anti-racism movement that campaigns against the traditional “Zwarte Piet” character associated with the Sinterklaas festival — the Dutch celebration of Saint Nicholas held annually on December 5. Critics argue that the “Black Pete” figure perpetuates racial stereotypes.

Afriyie referred to what he described as a resurgence of “antisemitism, racism, and Islamophobia.”

“I wish I could stand here and say: yes, yesterday was monstrous, but at least we learned from it. Yet history is repeating itself now,” he said. “The past warns us; it is up to the future to heed it.”

His appearance drew criticism in some Jewish circles, including from the Centraal Joods Overleg (Central Jewish Consultative Body), due to past pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel remarks. Former director of the Centrum Informatie en Documentatie Israël (Center for Information and Documentation on Israel, CIDI), Ronny Naftaniel, described Afriyie’s participation as “an insult to the strikers from 85 years ago.”

Demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags were also present near the ceremony. The appearance of a flag associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union, prompted criticism from attendees who said such symbols were inappropriate at a site dedicated to resisting oppression and antisemitism.

RESPONSE FROM JEWISH LEADERS

“Bizarre. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is on the European Union’s terror list,” said Naftaniel, renowned for his longtime pro-Israel advocacy.

“It is so insulting to the strikers of that time, who stood up for their fellow human beings, to now be misused by figures who celebrate the murderers of women and children,” he stressed.

Following the speeches, attendees and relatives laid wreaths and flowers at the Dokwerker statue as the bells of the Mozes and Aäron Church tolled.

Despite tensions surrounding the anniversary, organizers emphasized that the February Strike remains a defining moment in Dutch history — a symbol of resistance against persecution and injustice.

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