On February 22 and 23, 1941, around the Waterlooplein, 389 Jewish men were arrested. For the German occupier, it was a retaliatory action. On February 25 and 26, Amsterdam workers responded with an unprecedented strike. Demand the immediate release of the arrested Jews, was stated on the famous pamphlet. On Tuesday, February 25 at 4:30 PM, Amsterdam commemorates this strike at the Jonas Daniel Meijerplein.
On Tuesday, February 25, 1941, the February strike broke out in Amsterdam. Work came to a standstill at government companies, shipyards, workshops, stores, and public transport. After the trams had disappeared from the cityscape, the strike wave spread. Thousands of workers marched through the city. Spontaneous demonstrations occurred on the Rozengracht, Marnixstraat, and the Damrak.
Singing on the ferries
A witness reported that The Internationale was sung on the ferries from North to the center. The strike gripped the whole city throughout the day and then spread to companies in surrounding municipalities. Thus, on February 26, there was a strike in the Zaanstreek, Kennemerland, the Gooi, and Utrecht.
Political unrest
In the preceding weeks, there had already been growing political unrest in Amsterdam and its surroundings. There were wage actions by workers in public works, and dissatisfaction was high at unemployment offices. An attempt to force young shipbuilding workers to work in Germany was rejected with a protest strike and had to be withdrawn by the management. In and around the city center, clashes between Nazi sympathizers and Jewish citizens occurred more frequently.
Anti-Jewish measures
Anti-Jewish measures intensified after WA man Hendrik Koot was injured in a skirmish and later died. The top of the occupying power was furious. The neighborhoods where mainly Jews lived were cordoned off, bridges were raised, and shops were closed. Barbed wire barricades were erected on a large scale.
Raid in Amsterdam
As a reprisal for Koots death, the Germans held a large-scale raid on and around the Jonas Daniel Meijerplein on Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23, 1941. Brutally, 427 Jewish men and boys were rounded up and taken away as hostages. News of this atrocity quickly spread from mouth to mouth.
Strike!!! Strike!!! Strike!!!
On Monday, February 24, the illegal Communist Party of the Netherlands gathered its cadre members in the evening at the Noordermarkt. The hundreds present were addressed by municipal worker and union man Dirk van Nimwegen. In the following hours, the manifesto Strike, strike, strike was printed on stencil machines and spread as widely as possible the next morning. On February 25 and 26, 1941, a massive strike took place. This strike is recorded in history as the February strike.
Act of resistance
We can still say that the February strike was an act of resistance that has been recorded in the history of the Netherlands. The spontaneity of the population, their solidarity and commitment, are beyond doubt. Support was given to Jewish fellow citizens from all layers of society, and the German occupier was made clearly aware that anti-Semitism is unacceptable and remains so.
Commemoration of the February Strike
On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, the February strike of 1941 will be commemorated in Amsterdam at the Dokwerker. More information can be found at Commemoration of the February Strike.