The Israel Centre in Nijkerk, The Netherlands was defaced by anti-Israel activists, who smeared the building with paint and put up posters containing inflammatory messages. The words "FREE GAZA" were spray painted in front of the entrance to the establishment.
"We deeply regret that this could have taken place," said the Israel Centre. The environmental group Extinction Rebellion Netherlands has claimed responsibility for Sunday's defacement on the social media platform X.
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The words 'FREE GAZA' spray-painted in front of the Israel Centre in Nijkerk, The Netherlands
(Photo: Christians for Israel Netherlands)
Christians for Israel has surveillance footage of the two perpetrators and expects that they will soon be apprehended and held liable for the damage caused.
"This vandalism and intimidation are totally unacceptable. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that organizations or individuals who speak out for Israel have been threatened or intimidated by anti-Israel activists," the Centre said. "The Jewish community in our country faces this every day, and now so do we. We hope and expect politicians to take this incident seriously."
"As you often see with such actions, people act out of ignorance," said the institute's director Frank van Oordt.
"If the activists knew what we stand for, they would not have carried out this action. We feel safe in our premises where we now have our wonderful summer exhibition. The building is guarded and absolutely safe for visitors. And to reassure Extinction Rebellion, our premises are completely climate-neutral."