This year’s National Remembrance ceremony on Dam square in Amsterdam will once again be open to the public without prior registration, the city council has confirmed.

Last year, attendees to the May 4 ceremony to remember the Dutch who died in World War II were required to sign up in advance as a security measure.

Mayor Femke Halsema said there is no reason to impose the same restrictions in 2024 although strict security measures will still be in place.

Extra police will be deployed, audible protests or demonstrations in the vicinity of the square will be banned, and officers will be allowed to carry out stop-and-search checks on and around the Dam.

In 2024, Amsterdam council decided to halve the number of people allowed to attend the 4 May ceremony, limiting the crowd to 10,000 instead of the usual 20,000.

At the time, Halsema cited increased public unrest and a surge in protests, particularly relating to the war in Gaza. In the end, around 4,400 people, including invited guests, attended.

“This year, although the willingness to protest remains high, there is currently no reason to believe that this will be directed at the National Remembrance ceremony,” Halsema said in a briefing to the city council.

Two recent incidents – one involving a man stabbing several people near the Dam, and another in which a man set himself on fire – do not alter that assessment, she said.

If any demonstrations are registered, the council will look for a location where protests can take place “with respect for the city’s commemorations and the two minutes’ silence”.

The main ceremony, attended by the king and queen, takes place on the Dam but there are hundreds of others all over the country.