Dutch officials refute posts that pro-Palestinian protesters 'took over' train station sound system
Dutch transport officials refuted claims on social media that protesters "took over the loudspeaker" at the main train station of The Hague to criticise the government of the Netherlands for "contributing to a genocide" in Gaza. The misleading posts shared footage of a protest in the station, which featured an audio of the purported hijacked announcement. But authorities told AFP the announcement system in the station in The Hague was automatic and did not include a microphone that could be taken over by protesters.
The video was shared on Facebook by a Malaysia-based user on February 12, 2024. Part of its caption said: "I hope I'm distantly related to this legend. She took over the loudspeaker at The Hague's central train station."
The 46-second video showed a banner with the Palestinian flag hung inside the Centraal train station in The Hague.
Dutch-language text written on the banner said: "The Hague, capital of genocidal politics, the Netherlands finances, Israel bombs". Flyers criticising the Dutch government for delivering weapons to Israel were also seen scattered in the station.
A woman's voice in the style of a public announcement could be heard in the clip saying: "Dear travellers, we are sorry to inform you that you are involved in genocide."
"The Dutch government is using your voice and your taxpayer money to give political, financial and military support to Israel in its campaign to destroy Gaza and its people. The Netherlands refused to demand a ceasefire," it added.
"Your Dutch government is doing everything possible to protect Israel from sanctions at the United Nations."
Similar posts claiming pro-Palestinian protesters took over the speaker system at the train station in The Hague racked up more than 500,000 views on TikTok here and here. The misleading claim was also shared repeatedly on Instagram and YouTube.
The posts surfaced as Israel pressed on with its intense bombardment of Gaza despite international pressure for an immediate ceasefire. The war broke out following an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel on October 7, 2023 which resulted in about 1,160 deaths, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign killed at least 32,500 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry. Famine was looming in the besieged Palestinian territory, international aid agencies warned.
AFP could not independently verify when the footage shared in the posts was taken. However, multiple Dutch officials refuted the claim that protesters were able to take over the public announcement system at the train station.
'No microphone'
Several pro-Palestinian protests were staged in the station, according to multiple news reports here, here and here. But there were no news reports as of March 29 which said protesters took over the public announcement system (archived links here, here and here).
According to Arno Leblanc, a spokesman for the main Dutch railways operator NS, the announcements at the train station were "automatic". "There is no microphone" that could be taken over, he said on March 26 in response to the posts.
A spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, which is responsible for transport, separately told AFP on March 7: "The public announcement system wasn't taken over by the protesters. The voice in the video is an imitation of a public announcement by the Dutch Railways."
The spokesman said the protest shown in the clip was filmed in Centraal station in The Hague but it was not immediately clear which day it happened.
The station seen in the clip corresponds to images of The Hague's Centraal station geotagged on Google Maps (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the station seen in the misleading posts (left) and the image from Google Maps (right) with similar elements highlighted by AFP:
AFP previously debunked misinformation swirled in Malaysia related to the Israel-Hamas war here, here and here.
