Muslims rampage through Amsterdam - 75 Swastika's and 'the Jews are dogs'.

By Ronald Eissens www.magenta.nl/13042002 for photos
Amsterdam, Saturday, April 13, the National demonstration 'Stop the war
against the Palestinians'. About 15.000 people took part, which made it one
of the biggest demonstrations in Amsterdam of the last 8 years. Never since
1945 were so many swastika's shown in public.

The procession counted some 75. But there was a lot more of dreadful stuff.
A photo of Hitler, strangling Sharon. People chanting 'Jews into the sea!'.
Signs and banners saying 'Hitler came out of his grave and the world stands
by and watches', 'The Arab army will slaughter you all', 'Stop the Zionist
genocide', 'Hamas-Jihad-Hezbollah', 'El Yahud kalbulah' (the Jews are Dogs),
'wir haben das nicht gewusst'.

Stars of David with a 'bigger then' sign and a Swastika (in other words,
Jews are worse than Nazi's), Stars of David with Swastika's in the centre or
superimposed, Stars of David with a skull and bones in the centre, Little
boys sitting on their father's shoulders, proudly waving toy machine guns,
Stars of David = Swastika signs and banners, USA=Jews=Nazi's, 'Holocaust in
Palestine, Sharon=Hitler' with Swastika and Star of David, 'USA you will
pay', 'Stop Holocaust in Palestine', Sharon & Bush = Swastika, 'USA=Star of
David', Photos of Sharon and Hitler next to each other, Star of David=born
to kill', Sharon=Hitler, etcetera.

During the demonstration, groups of participants shouted 'Sieg Heil!' on at
least two occasions. The whole thing can at best be described as
discriminatory, distasteful and hurtful.

The police confiscated a number of signs and banners, but most were left
undisturbed. At the police cordon on the Blauwbrug bridge a 'Sharon=Hitler'
sign was taken out while Swastikas with Stars of David could stay. A rather
bizarre logic.

Bizarre was also the small group 'A different Jewish sound', members of a
local Jewish peace initiative, marching in the demo between the swastikas.

Fatima Elatik, City council member for the labour party was explicitly
present for a while at the Blauwbrug bridge cordon, but seeing the various
hurtful and antisemitic signs she did not see the need to intervene.

The general mood of the demo was rather calm but a group of some 300
Moroccan boys behaved very aggressively, which led to the throwing of a
molotov cocktail to the discotheque 'IT', the setting of small fires, the
throwing in of windows of Hotel Krasnapolsky and the kicking over of terrace
chairs in the streets. At the end of the closing manifestation at Dam square
this behaviour culminated in fights with the police, on which the riot
police swept clean Dam square and arrested 20 persons.

What we would never tolerate in Amsterdam from extreme-right wing
protesters, that is carrying and shouting discriminatory and antisemitic
expressions, is tolerated from these protesters. That is reprehensible and
the organisers of this demo are, despite all their promises and noble words
beforehand, totally responsible. The wishy-washy way in which the police
dealt with it all is not surprising, we are used to that by now. It is
something at least that some signs were confiscated, but sadly most escaped
this fate.