Reclaiming the Kristallnacht Commemoration

November 9 is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, and for many years the remembrance of the event in Amsterdam has been hijacked by Muslims and left-wing extremists and turned into an occasion to bash Israel. This year’s commemoration turned out a bit differently, thanks to a group of dedicated people who were determined to return the event to its original purpose.

Our Flemish correspondent VH has compiled a report on the topic.


The Kristallnacht Commemoration in Amsterdam
by VH

Since 1992, The Kristallnacht commemoration in Amsterdam has been hijacked by the Netherlands Admits Color (NBK) of the Hamas-supporting International Socialist and GreenLeft notable René Danen (one of the complainants in the Wilders Trial). The highly politicized commemoration, which became an outlet of anti Israel hatred, was attended last year by the Jewish-Christian pastor Ben Kok. He was the only one with an Israeli flag, and for that reason he was not quite appreciated:

Someone took it upon themselves to tell me twice that the Israeli Flag this had to go, Israel had nothing to do with this memorial! I did not comment, so as not to disturb at the meeting, but was too stunned to say much — what a travesty! […] In Amsterdam, mind you, where Jews had found a home, one that was better than in the surrounding, more anti-Semitic countries. To my surprise, there was no other Israeli flag, while I first thought to recognize the meeting by a multitude of Israeli flags, but no, it was even hard to find the spot. What a difference for that matter to the around 2000 anti-Israel protesters on January 4, 2009, at the Museumplein, where a hundred flags, all of Palestinian/Islamic signature, were present, and the only Israeli flag was trampled.

One of the speakers in 2009 was Edward Nazarsky of Amnesty International, who had also supported an anti-Wilders campaign. He said there, referring to Geert Wilders: “The public anger was fueled by derogatory, offensive and discriminatory language. And too many bystanders in parliament were silent. Who remains silent perhaps does not approve, but clearly also does not disapprove.”

Author Filantroop wrote about Amnesty International:

That Amnesty International is increasingly eager to serve Islam was shown in the winter of 2009, when the organization made a call to the international community for an arms embargo on Israel. […] That the French liberated women from the burqa was also a thorn in the moral eye of the organization, which then with aplomb called on France to suspend the burqa ban. France, of course, did not respond to that. Therefore, the sigh: if the West were ever to go through the darkness of the early Middle Ages again, we can approach Amnesty International on it. But Amnesty International then will likely have shifted its business to selling little Delft Blue Mosques to Muslims on holiday.

Ben Kok: “Wilders was pointed at as a ‘populist’, and the comparison with Hitler was suggestive enough. Therefore, the Central Jewish Board [CJO] had distanced itself from this in its statement, and that is why we were present with so many people there, with the Flag of Israel":

The Central Jewish Board, CJO, has noted with concern the intention of the organization Netherlands Admits Color, to organize another Kristallnacht Commemoration on November 9 in Amsterdam. In 1938, on the night of November 9-10 in Germany, 267 synagogues were set on fire and 7,500 Jewish businesses destroyed. 92 Jews were murdered. It was a massive expression of anti-Semitism. Although the CJO finds it of utmost importance that this moment is commemorated, the CJO can not identify itself with the way this currently happens in Amsterdam. The meeting in Amsterdam is highly politicized.

Thus we consider a notice for the commemoration on the website of the International Socialists objectionable. Next to the announcement is a picture of a poster that calls for a boycott of Israel. Israel is equated with apartheid. This politicization has nothing to do with a warning against anti-Semitism and racism today, let alone with a commemoration of the past.

The Central Jewish Board has in the past every five years organized a Kristallnacht commemoration in Amsterdam. From next year on we will do that every year, because we cannot accept that the persecution of Jews is abused by organizations and individuals for their own political agendas.

Ben Kok had issued a call to show up with flags of Israel, which received a tremendous response. It was “completely different from the commemoration in 2009, where speakers such as Imam Forkani and the director of Amnesty International, Nazarsky suggested that the Muslims in our country are in nearly in much danger as the Jews at that time in Germany. The NOS [state broadcaster] tries to play down the need for our action, but the fact that the CJO (see the text above) including CIDI [Center Information and Documentation Israel] expresses a similar concern to ours with our own action, and therefore will organize an annual commemoration starting in 2011; this says enough, I think.”

And: “I did not see Rene Danen this time …”


There are a few videos on Keesjemaduraatje: Video 1, Video 2