The Royal Palace Amsterdam was defaced with red paint on October 7, according to Palestine Action Netherlands, in response to a scheduling conflict with a pro-Israel demonstration on the anniversary of the October 7 massacre.
Amsterdam police said on Monday that it was still investigating the crime, and no arrests had yet been made.
Palestine Action NL took credit for the vandalism, graffitiing “f*** Israel” and splashing the facade with red paint to resemble “the blood that the Dutch state has on its hands.”
The anti-Israel vandalism group attacked the palace as a symbol of “centuries-long history of Dutch colonialism” out of anger that a pro-Israel rally had been allowed last Tuesday, resulting in a “ban” on a pro-Palestinian event.
A representative for Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema told RTL Nieuws that there was no ban, but a pro-Israel demonstration had already been announced, and there was fear that there would be confrontations on an already tense day.
Palestine Action's Dutch branch says actions honor 'resistance fighters'
Palestine Action NL said that its actions honored “resistance fighters and martyrs, recognizing the need for emancipatory violence and struggle against the occupying force” and accused the Dutch government of failing to prosecute alleged war crimes and not imposing sanctions on Israel.
“Globalize the Intifada,” the group wrote on Instagram.
The Dutch Government Information Service responded to the incident by stating that vandalism was never acceptable and not the way to “demonstrate one’s opinions.”