US removal of panels honoring Black soldiers at WWII cemetery in the Netherlands draws backlash

https://apnews.com/article/netherlands-american-cemetery-black-liberators-trump-06d7a64d11a29736e999664054d29419?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

by sparki_black

38 comments

  3. >Sometime in the spring, the American Battle Monuments Commission, the U.S. government agency responsible for maintaining memorial sites outside of the United States, removed the panels from the visitors center at the American Cemetery in Margraten, the final resting place for roughly 8,300 U.S. soldiers, set in rolling hills near the border with Belgium and Germany.

    >The move came after U.S. President Donald Trump [issued a series of executive orders](https://apnews.com/article/dei-trump-executive-order-diversity-834a241a60ee92722ef2443b62572540) ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs. “Our country will be woke no longer,” Trump said in an address to Congress in March.

    >The removal, carried out without public explanation, has angered Dutch officials, the families of U.S. soldiers and the local residents who honor the American sacrifice by caring for the graves.

  5. “The signs at Margraten are not intended to promote an agenda that criticizes America”

    How do they?

  6. In protest, the tv program “Even tot hier” set up an installaties on a nearby field; humorously titled “MAGA haten bij Margraten”, which translates to “Hating MAGA at Margraten”, referencing President Donald Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
    The Even tot hier presenters said the title highlights “all discriminatory actions of the Trump administration.”

    In a symbolic tribute, the program arranged hay bales in a nearby field spelling the name of James Jr. The display will remain until the next Google Maps satellite update. “The field belongs to a farmer, and we can do what we like there,” the presenters said.

    https://nltimes.nl/2025/11/23/black-soldiers-panels-margraten-reinstalled-tv-removed-hours-later-police

    ETA: Willy F. James Jr. was a Black soldier who was posthumously awarded the highest American military decoration, the Medal of Honor, in 1997. James Jr. was killed a day after his heroic act in April 1945 and is buried in Margraten.

    https://www.l1nieuws.nl/entertainment/3034981/panelen-zwarte-bevrijders-even-terug-in-maga-haten-dankzij-even-tot-hier

  7. Presumably, the U.S. do not hold any rights to the surrounding land and would be unable to object to a large commemorative plaque near the entrance of the cemetery

  8. It seems like black people fighting in Europe for freedom, at a time when many US states still had legalised apartide, should very much be acknowledged. It shouldn’t be political. Maybe I’m just woke or something too.

  9. I cannot simply understand how much are those ppl fucked in the head, thanks to those soldiers we don’t speak fucking German and they still do this shit…

  10. Can you sanction us for this?

    (And you know, everything else?)

    Wallets hurting is the only thing that can actually get through to most voters here, depressingly.

  12. Even Africans who fought in WW2 have been totally forgotten and many have no knowledge or history of their contribution.

    This were executive orders signed by a president who him and his family dodge serving in the military and disrespect them at any turn like the Arlington Cemetery photo taking and they see nothing wrong with his actions including the media.

  13. Nobody: …

    Absolutely nobody at all: …

    The US: Well shit I guess we better persecute black people some more

  15. The orange pedo and his maga sycophants are trying to rewrite history, the USA has been well known to write their own versions of events over the years but this is beyond normal, it’s their own version of burning of the books by the Nazis

  18. That’s abhorrent!!!! These men fought for everything that the US stands for!!! It has nothing to do with “wokism”!! Those men like all the men that fought against fascism and nazism deserve recognition!!!! There was no woke back then!! If the president wants to do away with DEI, he should do it in a different way. People should be hired and recognized for their talents, skills and abilities, no matter what colour, religion, gender, sexual preference or disability!! Once we understand that, we’ll be able to coexist with each other!

  19. This is GOP “honoring” the sacrifices of our soldiers.

  20. QUESTION: WHAT KIND OF COUNTRY DOES SUCH A THING?

    Answer: A country run by arseholes

  21. Ah, the land of the free.

    Here’s one more from UK for you history geeks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bamber_Bridge

    “the people of Bamber Bridge supported the black troops and when US commanders demanded a colour bar in the village, all three pubs reportedly posted “Black Troops Only” signs”

  23. Trump chickened out of serving in the military and his name gets plastered on the Kennedy Center.

  26. WTF. May each and every maga moron that voted for this piece of shit rot in hell.

    Wonder what the slimebuckets at r/conservative say about this. Hope they fucking rot in hell, too.

  27. They can spin however they want. At the end of the day, Trump took down plaques honouring American soldiers.

  28. The maga government is trash, they can try to erase Black soldiers contribution to winning WW2, but it will not work. The Netherlands should do their own installation of about Black Americans who fought to help liberate Europe. They don’t have to listen to the United States.

  30. Are people STILL going to pretend that Trump and the GOP in general are racist pieces of shit?

  31. Didn’t the Dutch put them back but a little bit away so that it was on their turf? I seem to recall this story from a while back.

  35. Trump is a petty, bitter, vindictive, bigot, an embarrassment to country and humanity. I forgot to mention A COWARD, WHEN CALLED TO SERVE

  37. >Trump’s DEI policies directly prompted the commission to take down the panels.

    So Black soldiers buried there are DEI interments? Those graves should have the bodies of White soldiers in them?

  38. Ah, the only time an anti-racism topic is upvoted on this sub. When it’s about America lmfao

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