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BBC NEWS October 5, 2004
Venting anger in Amsterdam By Andy Clark Radio Netherlands, in Amsterdam
Museum Square, in the heart of Amsterdam, is as large as several football fields.
But it was not big enough to hold the largest demonstration in The Netherlands for more than two decades.
The streets of the Dutch capital were jammed as more than 200,000 protesters turned up to vent their anger over the biggest cutbacks in public spending the country has ever seen.
As the numbers grew throughout the day the police had to ask people to stop making their way to the square.
Several streets ground to a complete standstill.
The protesters came from across the country.
Their numbers were bolstered by a deal struck between the unions and the national rail company to give free tickets to the capital for anyone taking part.
The demonstration's official slogan was the functional, if a little un-exciting, "Nederland Verdient Beter" - "The Netherlands Deserves Better".
No going early
But the home-made banners and slogans were far more colourful.
Can you imagine a 65-year-old fire-fighter carrying someone down a ladder? John van den Heuvel
The country's Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende was one of the chief targets.
The Dutch leader has been sidelined from duties for several weeks because of a nasty foot infection - not a very macho injury for a politician who, at the best of times, struggles with his image.
"To hell with the government," read one banner nailed beneath a plastic foot.
Another protester had made a puppet of Mr Balkenende, complete with bandaged foot.
Elsewhere, his head was transposed onto a statue of Saddam Hussein, a message on the plinth saying "Overthrow Balkenende".
Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm was also in the firing line: "Throw Zalm in the Rhine," read one banner, another targeted them both under the title "Dumb and Dumber".
Chief among the protesters' concerns are government plans to scrap financial benefits making early retirement possible.
Plans to extend the working week to 40 hours, from the current 36, and proposals for cuts in sickness benefits are also a focus of anger.
Special early retirement rules for police and firemen are under threat and large numbers of emergency services workers took part.
Currently, these workers can retire at 55, but there are plans for this to change.
"Can you imagine a 65-year-old fire-fighter carrying someone down a ladder? I can't. It's not possible, people can't work this long," said 50-year-old protester John van den Heuvel.
Enormous
"Earlier we could retire at 55, but now we will have to work for an extra 10 years," said flight attendant Gert Jan de Vries from Amsterdam.
"It's dangerous, we are there primarily for flight safety reasons but will someone of 65 really be able to do the job properly."
Sylvia Hendriks, 22, from Heemskirk is also angry about plans to cut back early retirement.
"My father was going to stop work in 2 years, when he was 60, but now it looks like he will have to go on until he is 65 and that is wrong," she said.
Pensioner Gre van der Valk, 65, made her way to Museum Square to make a similar point: "I know how good it is to retire early and that's why I'm here to protest. It's sad that Mr. Balkenende is sick, but other than that he's a worthless prime minister."
The cutbacks being proposed by the government are the biggest in Dutch history.
The latest swathe of cuts, announced in the budget last week, amounted to 6bn euros.
This follows a previous 13bn euros slashed since 2003 under two governments led by Mr Balkenende.
'Oversimplification'
The demonstration was organised by a broad coalition of Dutch trades unions - the FNV, CNV and MHP - representing workers from low, middle and even higher income groups.
The unions say the cutbacks are being made at the expense of ordinary working people and those receiving benefits whilst people earning top incomes are left alone.
But not everyone was happy with the demonstration.
Jozias van Aarsten, the chairman of the liberal VVD party, a member of the government coalition, attacked the unions for oversimplifying complex issues.
He said the unions were falsely spreading the image that people at the bottom of society were being targeted.
The reality, he says, is that government is trying to achieve an even distribution of wealth.
The government says the social security system has to be reformed to cope with a rapidly ageing Dutch population.
Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/3710266.stm