Around 3,000 join Amsterdam protest against militarisation

The national ‘Stop de Oorlogskoorts’ peace protest brought around 3,000 people to Dam Square in Amsterdam on 27 September 2026. Its organisers — De Nieuwe Vredesbeweging, FNV Young & United and the Landelijke Studentenvakbond — argued that militarisation would be paid for through cuts to social services and higher taxes on working people. They also raised the possibility of compulsory military service. [1]

Speakers urged politicians to prevent war rather than treat it as inevitable. A call to end support for the US and Israel in the war in Gaza drew loud applause. But views on military support for Ukraine differed on the square: while a speaker questioned whether armament could bring peace, three young women from Ukraine and Moldova said diplomacy alone would not end the war with Russia and that withholding weapons from Ukraine would cost lives. They argued it was possible to oppose the war in Gaza while supporting arms for Ukraine. [1]