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Photographer’s Note

The Netherlands is a country of Freedom. Religious tolerance has been a feature of this land since several centuries ago. For example, the Sephardic Jews* have been living here since the 16th century when they were expelled from Portugal and Spain by the Inquisition. It was also a safe haven for Protestant refugees from Flanders and Germany, Huguenots from France, and the Pilgrim Fathers from England (who later moved to North America). Nowadays Holland is also home to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and many other religious people.
Fundamentalism is now mostly used as a pejorative term for Muslims, but the word was firstly coined to describe some Protestants in the USA. The ladies in this picture are, in my humble opinion, fundamentalists of some Christian belief. They were not demonstrating against sexual libertinage, nor against drugs and alcohol abuse. No. They were protesting against a temporary amusement park or funfair that was set bang in the Dam Square, in the centre of Amsterdam (see photos of the sinful funfair in the workshop), in front of the Royal Palace, between the Nieuwe Kerk (church) and the Madame Tussauds museum. Location: 52.3733132, 4.8929125. (I think it's a good place to put a funfair; Lisbon could do the same in Rossio or Terreiro do Paço.)
I guess these ladies would better protest against the bank at their backs. I talked with the ladies; they were nice and allowed me to shoot them.
* - The most famous Dutch Jew of Portuguese origin is perhaps the philosopher Spinoza; his father was from the town of Vidigueira, southern Portugal.

Esta nota também está disponível em português.

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