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The Netherlands has found itself at the center of a loud anti-Semitic scandal that has shaken the democratic European political elite.
Amsterdam has been called the «Dutch Jerusalem». It is the most Jewish city in the Netherlands, with over 15,000 residents of that nationality. Before World War II, there were more — about 80,000. Currently, Amsterdam has more than ten active synagogues, and kosher food is available in almost all restaurants and supermarkets. There have been no recorded anti-Semitic incidents in the city in recent decades.
But on the night of November 7–8, everything exploded. A brutal anti-Israeli outburst occurred after a soccer match between the local «Ajax» and Tel Aviv’s «Maccabi», which had attracted some three thousand fans from the Holy Land. After the game, which ended 5–0 in favor of the Dutch, the Israelis were met at the stadium exit by masked individuals waving Palestinian flags who began to attack the Jewish fans. Unofficially, between ten and thirty Israeli fans were injured in various parts of the city. The rioters tried to break into hotels where Middle Eastern guests were staying. Local Jews were not attacked. Police reported that five people were hospitalized. The victims suffered from beatings and stab wounds. Sixty-two of the attackers were arrested.
Law enforcement authorities determined that the root cause was the provocative behavior of some Israeli fans who behaved aggressively before the game, shouting anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab slogans as they marched through the streets. A local taxi driver (apparently a Muslim) filmed an episode in which the Jewish supporters demonstratively tore down and burned a Palestinian flag from a building in the city center. The taxi driver posted the video on social media. And then it all began…
Let me remind you that Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. The official authorities, who failed to prevent the fight, were in shock.
«I followed the reports from Amsterdam with horror», said Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who immediately contacted his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, and assured him that the perpetrators would be found and brought to justice.
Justice Minister David van Wil said what happened had nothing to do with soccer riots. «They were looking for Israelis. People were asked what nationality they belonged to. If they were Israelis, they were beaten. This is pure anti-Semitism», he said.
«I can easily imagine that this will bring back memories of the pogroms», noted Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. According to her, the capital “has suffered serious damage to its reputation, and the city’s Jewish culture is under real threat.
In Israel, the incident was clearly described with the harsh word «pogrom».
«We are watching with horror the shocking images and videos that, after October 7 (the day last year when Hamas militants attacked the Jewish state and took hostages — auth.), we hoped never to see again», wrote Israeli President Isaac Herzog on one of the social networks.
Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the immediate dispatch of two planes to the Netherlands to bring back the Israeli citizens.
A wave of condemnation swept through European capitals and reached the UN podium.
«No one should be subjected to discrimination or violence based on their national, religious, ethnic or other origin», said Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) also condemned the attack. «We are confident that the competent authorities will identify and bring to justice as many of those responsible as possible», the organization said in a statement.
The reaction of official Berlin, which still seems to bear the burden of German guilt (during Hitler’s time, of course) for the Holocaust, was particularly angry. Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote in his post that «Jews in Europe should feel safe; such attacks are unacceptable. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock noted that «the outbreak of violence against Jews crosses all borders… the images from Amsterdam are horrifying and deeply shameful for us».
Incidentally, the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel reported a similar (though less bloody) anti-Semitic incident in Berlin almost simultaneously with the events in Amsterdam. Players from the Jewish youth soccer team TuS Makkabi Berlin were attacked and insulted during a match against their peers from the capital’s Schwarz-Weiß Neukölln club. Their opponents spat at them and threatened them. In a TuS Makkabi group chat, the players claimed that several men, presumably of Arab origin, chased them with sticks and knives.
«Anti-Semitic violence and discrimination have not disappeared from our city», said Berlin’s Senator for the Interior, Iris Spranger. She demanded that law enforcement thoroughly investigate the incident and punish the instigators.
… Now the attention of European politicians and law enforcement officials is likely to turn to Paris, where the French national soccer team is scheduled to play the Israelis on November 14. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has already said that the Amsterdam pogroms will not force the postponement of the game because «France will not retreat».