King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima remember war dead

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands have attended the Remembrance of the Dead at the National Monument in Amsterdam.

They were joined by Prime Minister Rob Jetten and the Mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, and a large crowd.

At 8 o’clock, two minutes of silence were held nationwide. During these two minutes, all public transport was halted as well. The commemorations went ahead largely without incidents. Last year, two people were arrested who were yelling “Free Palestine!”

Earlier that morning, the National Monument was defaced with red paint. Written in the red paint was the word “genocide.”

Mayor Halsema spoke of an “incredibly cowardly act.”

“This is not a protest, but vandalism and intentional damage. It hurts not only the relatives of the victims of the Second World War, but all Dutch people for whom our national commemoration is important.” It took several hours to remove the red paint.

The Remembrance of the Dead commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the beginning of World War Two.