People protest against Charlie Hebdo attack

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated on Thursday in several Dutch cities and towns to express their aversion against the attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Wednesday.

All protests started at around 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT), the same time as the silent protest in Paris began. The Amsterdam procession from the French consulate to Dam Square was joined by, among others, a group of 150 police officers, Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher, Foreign Minister Bert Koenders and Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan.

At Dam Square around 17,000-18,000 people were present, with many demonstrators carrying pamphlets with the text "Je suis Charlie." Several protesters also chanted these words as a slogan. Some held up high a pen or pencil or a page or cartoon of Charlie Hebdo. On banners one could read: "Together we are strong" and "No to extremism."

"We will not allow others to take away our freedom," Rutte said during a speech.

In addition, Rutte said that freedom is not always easy. "Freedom is not just there for the pleasant view, the compliments and the good comments, but there is also freedom of sarcasm. That is the essence of democracy and the core of true freedom."

Mayor Van der Laan told the crowd that the terrorists have achieved nothing. "Except that within one day people massively and collectively demonstrated against their attack. We are here as one Charlie," he said.

Around 7:15 p.m. a minute of silence was held. The police arrested one man because he disturbed the silence by singing a song.

In Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb spoke on Plein 1940 to 3,000 attendees. "I am Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam normally, but today I'm Parisian and Charlie," he said in French. This meeting was also followed by a minute of silence.

Mayor Jozias van Aartsen of The Hague called the attack "barbaric" during a speech in his city. "An attack against everything our society stands for," he said. The Mayor laid flowers at the international press center Nieuwspoort in The Hague.

Also in Utrecht, Haarlem and Nijmegen thousands of people demonstrated and in dozens of smaller towns as well. The attack on Charlie Hebdo seemed to have touched not only the French, but also the Dutch.

Earlier on Thursday several editorial offices of Dutch media held a minute of silence to commemorate the victims of the attack. There was a minute of silence on Dutch national TV channels and radio stations as well.

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