On 4 June, during a press conference about whether the Dutch could go on foreign holiday that year,Prime MinisterMark Rutte called the murder of George Floyd "unacceptable". Rutte also commented on the recent George Floyd protests in the Netherlands, saying that racism is not only an American and that racism in the Netherlands is a "systemic problem".[1] He also said to have changed his mind aboutZwarte Piet.[2]
On 25 June, Mark Rutte, together withDeputy Prime MinisterKajsa Ollongren andMinister of Justice and SecurityFerdinand Grapperhaus, invited several protesters at theCatshuis to discuss racism in the Netherlands and the recent demonstrations. This sparked some criticism, because lead figures of the Dutch antiracist movement, including organisers and spokespeople of organisations such as Black Lives Matter andKick Out Zwarte Piet, were not invited.[3] However, Rutte stated that a follow-up conversation with spokespersons and leaders of the movement would be organised in the future.[4] This happened on 2 September, when representatives of Black Lives Matter and Kick Out Zwarte Piet were invited after all. They talked about how combat racism in different areas and how to address to issue of racism in the Netherlands.Minister of Social Affairs and EmploymentWouter Koolmees joined the conversation as well.[5][6] After the conversation, Rutte said he wants to "take practical steps towards zero racism", especially in the areas of health care, housing, education and employment. Rutte also said he wants to talk to more organisations together with the members ofhis cabinet at the end of the month about sectors where discrimination still causes problems.[7][8] However, there was no third meeting.
After the two meetings at the Catshuis, Ollongren met with Black Lives Matter activists inAmsterdam-Zuidoost on 9 September to discuss the economic inequality in that area.[9]
A representative research byHart van Nederland in early June, in which 3,066 people took, part suggests that 49% of the Dutch population supports the Black Lives Matter movement, opposed to 46% who don't support the movement.[10] A survey in mid-June among 7,053 people byLINDA, consisting mostly of women (93%), suggested that 75.8% of the Dutch supported the protests that took place, opposed to 24.2% who did not.[11]
Amsterdam: Over 5,000 people protested against police brutality in the United States and Europe.[15][16] Attendance was far higher than expected,[17] and some even speculated that up to 10,000 people attended the protest.[18]
Breda: Dozens of people protested in the city of Breda.[19]
Maastricht: Hundreds of people attended a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Maastricht.[20][21]
Enschede: 500 people protested in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement in Enschede.[25]
Nijmegen: A protest was held inGoffertpark in Nijmegen in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. According to the local authorities, 850 people were present, while the organisation claims there were 2,500 people. An air photo of the protest shows over 1,000 people.[25]
Utrecht: About 3,500 people protested in Utrecht in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.[25]
Weert: About 20 people demonstrated against racism in Weert.[26]
Eindhoven: 1,700 people gathered at the Stadhuisplein in Eindhoven. They all held a moment of silence for the victims of police brutality before protesting.[27]
Tilburg: A thousand people protested in Tilburg against racism and police brutality.[28]
Bergen op Zoom: Two anonymous people started protesting on the Grote Markt in Bergen op Zoom every Friday, starting on June 8.[30][31]
Middelburg: 800 people in Middelburg held a sit-in while hundreds of other protesters demonstrated elsewhere in the city. 500 people 'attended' the protest online.[32]
Amsterdam: An "estafette-demonstratie" (relay demonstration) began in Amsterdam. Every day from 9am to 5pm a single picket demonstration takes place, with a new protester every hour. The protest was supported online with the hashtag "#zolanghetnodigis" (#aslongasittakes).[36][37]
Lelystad: About 250 people protested at a Black Lives Matter demonstration at the Agorahof in Lelystad.[38]
Hoorn: Approximately 250 protesters demonstrated against the statue ofJan Pieterszoon Coen.[52][53] This eventually emerged in riots, where at least five people were arrested.[54]
Nijmegen: Another "estafette-demonstratie" started taking place in Nijmegen, in a similar fashion as the demonstration that started in Amsterdam on 12 June.[55]
^Naomi Kok Luis (2022). "It's Not All Black and White: Ethnic Self- Categorization of Multiethnic Dutch Millennials". In Supheert, Roselinde; Cascio, Gandolfo; ten Thije, Jan (eds.).The Riches of Intercultural Communication - Volume 1: Interactive, Contrastive, and Cultural Representational Approaches.Brill Publishers. p. 69.ISBN978-90-04-52284-8.On the first of June 2020 thousands of people, far more than expected, gathered on Dam Square in Amsterdam for the first massive Black Lives Matter protest in the Netherlands.
