Amsterdam moves demonstration with conspiracy theorist David Icke to Museumplein | Inland

According to SvN, the Triangle states that it ‘cannot guarantee the safety of the peace protesters’ and the demonstration must be moved from Dam Square to Museumplein to keep the group and any counter-protesters apart. Among others, the Israel Information and Documentation Center (CIDI) has already announced a counter-demonstration.

There is more overview on Museumplein than on Dam Square, fewer bystanders will pass by who will end up in a potentially grim atmosphere and it will be easier for the police to act.

SvN has informed the municipality that it has no good memories of the Museumplein and that it does not agree with the decision of the Triangle. “We don’t have good memories of the police brutality on Museumplein,” says Frank Ruesink, one of the organizers. He is referring to the confrontations between protesters and police in corona times on the square. “We are considering further steps and do not rule out going to court. And if not, we can always go for coffee,” says Ruesink.

SvN further writes in a press release that ‘the highest goal of the demonstration still stands proudly and that is a massive, dignified and safe peace demonstration for everyone’.

The demonstration has been under a magnifying glass for several weeks. David Icke is one of the propagators of the reptile theory, which amounts to a worldwide conspiracy where rulers are evil reptiles, a story with anti-Semitic roots. The CIDI called for Icke not to offer a platform because of his “anti-Semitic theories and denial of the Holocaust”.

Mayor Halsema has been upset with the demonstration for some time now. She previously announced that the dignity of the monument on Dam Square is at stake if Icke speaks because of his previous anti-Semitic statements. She finds support in her resistance from justice minister Dilan Yeşilgöz, who previously lashed out at FVD leader Thierry Baudet and MP Gideon van Meijeren, who, according to her, make Icke’s anti-Semitic conspiracy theories ‘salonfähig’.

The Amsterdam Triangle therefore asked the IND whether it is possible to ban David Icke at the border. The IND can deny someone entry to the Netherlands, but this only happens in highly exceptional cases, for example if his arrival is a threat to public order or national security. It is as yet unclear whether the IND will comply with the Triangle’s wishes.