On May 4, during the National Remembrance Day at the Dam in Amsterdam, all citizens and soldiers who have died since the outbreak of World War II, in war situations and during peace missions in the Netherlands and the rest of the world, were commemorated. The king and queen laid a wreath on behalf of the entire Dutch population. Children and grandchildren of survivors laid wreaths for various groups of war victims. On behalf of the States General, Senate Chairperson Jan Anthonie Bruijn and House of Representatives Chairperson Martin Bosma attended the ceremony. They laid a wreath together.
The traditional May 4 lecture in the Nieuwe Kerk prior to the commemoration was given this year by former presenter Philip Freriks. The 14-year-old student Marijn van der Wilk from Lochem gave a speech at the Dam. At exactly 8:00 PM, there was a two-minute silence in respect for the war victims. Prime Minister Dick Schoof then gave a speech in which he said: In a world full of war, people lose sight of each other. We lose compassion, even in the Netherlands. And in the darkest moments, we hear the echo from the past. That echo sounds on May 4 and during the two minutes of silence extra loud, he emphasized: When we think of all the people who were murdered for who they were. Who died from hunger or exhaustion. Or who fought for peace and freedom. Our peace and freedom. It is that echo that brought you and me here today to the Dam. Or at home, in front of the TV.
Earlier in the day, Dutch war victims were commemorated in the States Passage of the House of Representatives with the traditional turning of a page of the Honor Roll of the Fallen. In addition to Chairpersons Bosma and Bruijn, Prime Minister Schoof and Secretary of State Karremans were also present, along with students from the Johan de Witt Scholengroep from The Hague. They recited poems and laid a wreath. The Honor Roll contains the family name and first names, place and date of birth, occupation or military rank, place and date of death or passing – as far as known – of nearly 18,000 fallen. Since 1960, a page of the Honor Roll has been turned every day. The Honor Roll has been supplemented in later years in cooperation with the NIOD and was fully digitized in 2010. Family members of individuals listed on the Honor Roll were present at the commemoration.