“Out of the country with that scum and Halsema can come along,” Geert Wilders tweeted with a photo of pro-Palestine demonstrators on October 7, who, according to the PVV leader, are anti-Semitic. He later told NOS that Halsema should be fired: “The sooner she disappears, the better. I have no respect for her whatsoever.”
Van der Plas does not want to condemn the statements, but calls them ‘not her style’. “I would never make it very personal, I don’t like that,” she says. “I try to talk about the content and not mention people personally. I know that myself: if I am mentioned, I also get a lot of rubbish thrown at me.”
‘Counter-demonstration too close to Dam Square’
The BBB leader believes that a lot has gone wrong in Amsterdam. A commemoration event took place here on Dam Square for the Hamas attack on October 7 last year. Counter-demonstrators came nearby, which led to a grim atmosphere. Several demonstrators were arrested. “I don’t understand why those pro-Palestine demonstrators could get so close to Dam Square,” says Van der Plas.
However, according to international demonstration law, this is allowed: a counter-demonstration must be audible during the demonstration. “You don’t have to do everything that is allowed. We must not forget that on October 7, 1,200 people were brutally slaughtered, tortured and murdered. The counter-demonstration could have been at an appropriate distance, so that people can commemorate in peace and quiet. “
Unfortunately, the latter is not possible according to the law. Yet it is often decided to hold a demonstration remotely, says Van der Plas, under the guise of public order. “People are also kept apart at abortion clinics,” she says. According to the BBB leader, this is not a restriction of the right to demonstrate: “You have the right to demonstrate, but Jewish people also have the right to feel safe.”
