Samen voor Nederland has canceled a demonstration planned for Sunday in Amsterdam, to which British conspiracy theorist David Icke was invited. The organization reports this to the ANP news agency on Friday evening. The demonstration was supposed to take place on the Museumplein instead of on Dam Square, but the main reason for the cancellation, according to a spokesperson for Samen voor Nederland, is that Icke was refused entry to the Netherlands. “The decision of the IND has really made the difference.”
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) wrote to Icke on Thursday a letter which indicated that his arrival in the Netherlands could lead to disturbances of the peace. “Your physical presence may trigger stronger responses from the counter-demonstration.” The IND indicated that it saw security risks in Icke’s ideas. “There is reason to believe that propagating your ideas can incite more violence against politicians if they are no longer seen as people.”
Anti-Semitic Ideas
Icke regularly spreads anti-Semitic ideas and claims that the world is secretly ruled by reptiles. Because of the demonstration where he was to speak, three counter-demonstrations were registered with the municipality, including from the Israel Information and Documentation Center (CIDI). On Friday evening, Jewish Amsterdammers already held a protest Shabbat on Dam Square.
Also read: Entry ban conspiracy theorist David Icke is criticized by lawyers
According to Samen voor Nederland, the refusal to allow him to enter the Netherlands has silenced Icke and curtailed his freedom because he will not be welcome in the entire Schengen area for the next two years. A number of lawyers said Friday to NRC that immigration law is wrongly used to fend off unwelcome opinions.
Not on the Dam
Samen voor Nederland is a partnership of, among others, Forum For Democracy, Virus Truth and the Yellow Vests. The organization wanted to demonstrate on Sunday against the war in Ukraine, against the Rutte cabinet, against “the European dictatorship”, against the expropriation of farmers and against the permanent corona law. That should have happened on Dam Square, but the municipality had moved the demonstration to Museumplein for fear of disorder. The court ruled Friday that the move was lawful.
A spokesperson for Samen voor Nederland told ANP on Friday evening that he could not rule out the possibility that people would demonstrate in Amsterdam on Sunday. The organization was previously behind the banned corona demonstration on the Museumplein on January 2 this year, which, despite the ban, turned out about ten thousand people and injured four police officers.