Dutch anti-Israel activists vandalize Rotterdam city hall

Anti-Israel activists defaced the Rotterdam city hall with red paint on Wednesday, according to Palestine Action and the Rotterdam Municipality.

The front of the city hall was closed off, while the outer facade was cleaned of red paint.

Deputy Mayor comments

The city did not know who conducted the vandalism, but Deputy Mayor Robert Simons said in a Thursday statement that "police are doing everything they can to catch these perpetrators as soon as possible."

"I strongly condemn this hopeless anonymous action," said Simons. "What do the perpetrators want to say with this?"

Activists issued a communique through Palestine Action Netherlands on Thursday, explaining that they had defaced the hall in protest of the civil service pension fund Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP over alleged investments in companies that have financial relationships with Israeli entities. Some of the companies supposedly operate in Israeli settlements.

"This is the blood money of the Netherlands," said the activists. "Invested for the sake of a good life here, at the expense of Palestinian lives there. This is what institutional complicity in Palestinian suffering looks like."

Palestine Action Netherlands called for further activism against ABP, demanding that they divest from Israeli companies and pay reparations for "complicity." The vandalism group called on government employees to call for the divestment and urged its own supporters to pressure ABP by contacting the pension fund's officials.

"If demands are not met, escalate," said the vandalism group.