Dutch journalists’ union to join Amsterdam Gaza protest over press freedom

The Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten (NVJ) says it will join the Rode Lijn demonstration in Amsterdam on Sunday 8 November, as it has at previous protests.

The union says a war has also been declared on journalism since Israel launched its Gaza campaign in response to the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023. It points to the deaths of journalists and restrictions on foreign reporters’ access to Gaza.

The NVJ board says its participation is directed not against Israel as a country, but against the Israeli government’s decisions concerning journalists covering the conflict. It rejects antisemitism and the glorification of violence, and distances itself from anyone expressing support for Hamas or carrying its flags. The union says organisers have assured it they will work to prevent such expressions, a condition it considers important for its participation.

Organiser Oxfam Novib says the protest will call on the Dutch government to stop arms trade and military cooperation with Israel, and to demand a permanent ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access.

The programme is scheduled to begin at 1pm local time on Museumplein, with the march starting at 1.45pm. The NVJ says journalists wishing to join it can gather at the Free Press Unlimited stand on the square.