(Amsterdam, Netherlands — November 4, 2022) — StandWithUs Nederland advocates for standing up to misinformation about Israel through education, as well as combatting antisemitism all over the world.
Following recent events in the Netherlands, we are grateful that the Dutch immigration service, IND, decided to ban the known antisemite and controversial conspiracy theorist, David Icke, from entering the country. Icke was due to appear as a keynote speaker at an upcoming Samen voor Nederland protest, “No War, Just Peace”, initially planned to take place at the Dam square in Amsterdam on November 6, 2022.
This would have been a deeply offensive event given that in doing so, not only would Samen voor Nederland have allowed for the vile spread of hate speech, but also inappropriately tarnished the Dam square and National Monument, which commemorates the casualties of World War II.
Resulting from the combined efforts of many individuals and organizations on the ground, besides the incredible feat of refusing to grant Icke such a platform, the protest was also moved to Museumplein, another location in Amsterdam.
This “double win” sends a clear message that Dutch society will not tolerate inciteful individuals, such as Icke, from entering the country to spew their hatred. To further expand on the perils of having invited Icke in the first place, it is important to recognize that Icke is guilty of historical revisionism and conspiracy theories about Jews, and has dangerously claimed that Jews themselves financed the Holocaust. In his book, “And The Truth Shall Set You Free,” Icke blames the “Jewish Elite,” among others, for having “created the circumstances which made the Second World War inevitable.” He then falsely asserted that “they financed Hitler to power in 1933 and made the funds available for his rearmament.”
Giving the stage to an individual such as Icke, who has publicly labeled other human beings as alien reptiles, is merely the first step in enabling the dangers accompanying dehumanization. Hosting events such as this one only encourages the discrimination, “othering” and marginalization of entire groups of individuals.
Icke poses a hazard to Jews and non-Jews alike. As can be learned from history, prejudice and intolerance do not remain confined to a specific people. In fact, bigotry often rears its ugly head by spreading to impact as many victims as possible. Poisonous words like those Icke has spewed may at first glance seem outlandish or insignificant, but they can ultimately contribute to harmful stereotypes and misconceptions of others, which can result in human rights violations and deep-seated, established inequalities.
As such, in a time plagued by the rise of antisemitism, StandWithUs Nederland urges all people of good will, dedicated to social justice and equal treatment of all citizens, to continue speaking up and denouncing such dangerous events and speakers. We encourage you to join us and be the voice that calls out the bigotry when it festers in your community, wherever you may be.
