The arrest and deportation of several hundred Jews to Buchenwald in February 1941 horrified the inhabitants of Amsterdam. Communist Party activists declared a strike and, in their manifesto, demanded an enhancement of social benefits and the release of the Jewish prisoners. The strike spread rapidly as all segments of the population, irrespective of their adherence to the Communist platform, shut down all means of transport, large enterprises, and public services. By the next day, the strike spread to the towns around Amsterdam. The Germans, although surprised by the extent of the strike, countered it with massive forces and stamped it out by its third day. The failure of the strike prompted the Germans to toughen their anti-Jewish policies.
