There is a lot of police presence around the Concertgebouw. At 6 p.m. there will be a protest against the arrival of the Israeli Shai Abramson, invited to perform at the start of the Jewish festival Hanukkah. He is a former lieutenant colonel in the Israeli Army (IDF) and is currently the army’s chief cantor. “He says he is a figurehead of the army,” said a demonstrator on Sunday afternoon. “Someone like that is simply not allowed to perform.”
The Concertgebouw previously decided to cancel the concert due to its ties with the military, but it ultimately came to a compromise: Abramson will only perform at two private Hanukkah concerts in the evening.
The municipality expects about 1,800 people. Mayor Femke Halsema had decided that the demonstration could only take place away from the building on Museumplein, but pro-Palestinian demonstrators filed summary proceedings. The judge ruled on Friday that a small group of demonstrators – a maximum of 30 people – may stand at one of the side entrances for a maximum of one hour in the afternoon and evening. The condition is that they must do this in silence.
This afternoon it already caused a minor confrontation between visitors to a Hanukkah concert and the demonstrators.
Also a counter-demonstration
Pro-Israel counter-protesters have announced that they will be standing close to the demonstrators at the side entrance. They gather on De Lairessestraat, which borders the square next to the entrance. This is stated by the protest movement ‘Netherlands in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people’. That organization calls for ‘a chain of friendship’ to be formed for the Jewish people.
There is a lot of police presence at the side entrance. Among other things, they will try to keep all groups at the same distance, a spokesperson for the mayor said. The groups around the Concertgebouw must always remain in the same place by the judge.
Arrests
Police say they arrested activists this afternoon after several entrances were blocked. The police will not say how many people are involved.