Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema has called on the city’s residents to support each other on the anniversary of the attacks by Hamas in Israel.

“Grief is not political. Give each other space,” Halsema said in a post on Instagram in which described October 7 as an “emotionally charged day, especially for Jewish Amsterdammers”.

But the mayor also defended the right of protesters to speak out against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which has led to the deaths of more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to estimates by Gaza’s health ministry.

“Particularly at times of unrest it is very important that people can go out into the streets and make their voices heard, as long as it is done peacefully and within the confines of the right to demonstrate.”

Demonstrators blocked the entrance of Utrecht University’s administrative building on Monday morning, holding a banner calling for the university to cut all ties with Israel.

Several hundred people attended a gathering in Amstelveen on Sunday evening organised by the Israeli information centre CIDI “to commemorate, come together and show solidarity a year after the bloodbath of 7/10”.

And on Saturday around 750 people took part in a march in Amsterdam from Dam Square to Museumplein calling for a ceasefire and an end to the Israeli occupation.

Clash with Yesilgöz

Halsema and prime minister Dick Schoof will attend the official commemoration of the October 7 attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage, in Amsterdam later on Monday.

Some hostages have died in captivity and 117 have been released, but some 97 are still being held or are unaccounted for.

“My thoughts are with the relatives and all those who have been waiting in great anxiety and uncertainty for more than a year for the release of their loved ones who are being held hostage by Hamas,” the mayor said.

On Sunday Halsema clashed with Dilan Yesilgöz, leader of the right-wing liberal VVD party, after Yesilgöz accused pro-Palestinian demonstrators of anti-Semitism.

She was speaking in support of five local VVD groups who wrote to national train operator NS saying it was “facilitating” hatred by not banning protests at railway stations.

Pro-Palestinian organisations have announced sit-ins at several stations across the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, Groningen, Utrecht, Zwolle and Nijmegen. “Bring your rage and bring your sorrow,” organisers said on Instagram.

“I don’t get why people don’t have the decency to keep away tomorrow,” Yesilgöz said on morning TV show WNL op Zondag. “They’re almost legitimising or excusing the actions of Hamas, whether they mean to or not.”

But Halsema, speaking later on the political discussion show Buitenhof, said the VVD leader was “criminalising” pro-Palestinian demonstrators by describing them as terrorist sympathisers and “setting up Monday night’s conflict.”

Station sit-ins

“They are demonstrations against the Israeli government and the behaviour of the Israeli government in Gaza and other places,” Halsema said. “That is a legitimate use of the right to demonstrate as stated in law.”

NS said it had no power to ban demonstrations, but it would act to protect the safety of rail passengers and “illegal slogans” would not be tolerated.

A demonstration in support of Israel is being held in Dam Square, organised by a Christian group from Alblasserwaard called Op de bres voor Israël (into the breach for Israel), where speakers include Chris Stoffer, leader of the orthodox Protestant party SGP.