Protests took up in the Netherlands in November 2011 after the Wall Street movement grew into a global one. European banks and, by extension, Dutch banks, had been hit by the financial crisis that began in the US in 2008, and the Great Recession had caught up to Dutch citizens as well. With similar motivations and protest tactics to the Wall Street movement, the Dutch made their discontent with their politicians clear. Occupy movements started locally and were organized in individual cities instead of in a central manner. Participant in different cities sometimes used various methods to protest, but all were welcome to participate. The issues protested by Dutch Occupiers were similar to the Americans, namely corporate influence on democratic political institutions.

Both the American and the Dutch Occupy Movements were “horizontal” movements, meaning that there would be a democratic organization without people at the top making decisions for the entirety of the movement. Therefore, everyone with a cause was welcome to join the movement and make their point through either marching with the movement or occupying parks and/or streets. The occupation of parcs was often referred to as “reclaiming” public spaces taken over by private corporate banks or enterprises.