Protesters hold a sign and wave Palestinian flags during a nationwide protest calling for a permanent ceasefire and in support of the Palestinian people of Gaza, in Brussels, June 15, 2025. (Credit: Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga/AFP)
Tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets of The Hague and Brussels on Sunday to protest their governments’ response to the war in Gaza, which many described as a “genocide.” The rallies were part of a weekend of global mobilization, with thousands also marching in France on Saturday.
In The Hague, organizers said around 150,000 people joined the protest — a larger turnout than the 100,000 who marched there on May 18. In Brussels, police estimated the crowd at 75,000, while organizers claimed more than 110,000, calling it the largest pro-Palestinian demonstration in Belgian history. Protesters also criticized the European Union, accusing it of inaction.
Participants were asked to wear red — T-shirts, scarves and hats — to form a symbolic “red line” for Gaza. The streets were soon awash in red as demonstrators marched through city centers.
In The Hague, the march ended at the International Court of Justice. Protesters carried signs reading “Don’t look away, do something,” “Stop Dutch complicity,” and “Silence when children sleep, not when they die.”
Organizers called on the Dutch government — which collapsed on June 3 after a far-right party withdrew from the ruling coalition — to impose sanctions on Israel.
“More than 150,000 people here dressed in red simply want concrete sanctions to stop the genocide in Gaza,” said Michiel Servaes, director of Oxfam Novib. “We demand action from our government now.”
“It has to stop. That’s enough. I can’t take it anymore,” said Dodo Van Der Sluis, a 67-year-old retiree in The Hague. “I’m here because it feels like the only thing you can do now as a Dutch citizen — but it’s something you have to do.”
The sentiment was echoed in Brussels by Lydie Vrijdag, a pensioner from Mechelen. “There is a genocide going on. Our government is not reacting, and the European Union is not making any decisions either,” she told AFP.
‘Wanted’
In Brussels, demonstrators — including many families with children — chanted “Free, free Palestine” and mocked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A poster featured Netanyahu’s face above the words “Wanted for crimes against humanity.”
In the Netherlands, caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof responded to the protest in The Hague on X, formerly Twitter: “To all those who are in The Hague, I say: we see you and we hear you.” He added, “At the end of the day, our goal is the same: to end the suffering in Gaza as soon as possible.”
Snap elections triggered by the government’s collapse are scheduled for Oct. 29.
Meanwhile, tensions in the region have escalated further. Since Friday, Israel has launched strikes on Iran, which it accuses of pursuing nuclear weapons.
Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza in mid-March and intensified military operations on May 17, vowing to destroy the Hamas militant group, free the remaining hostages, and take full control of the enclave. On May 30, the United Nations warned of a looming famine across Gaza due to the ongoing blockade on humanitarian aid.
The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,218 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has killed more than 54,600 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose data is considered credible by the U.N.
In January, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide. The UN humanitarian chief also urged world leaders in May to “act to prevent genocide.”
This article was translated from French AFP.