Gaza-born man accused of murder attempt to undergo evaluation

Dutch court sentences 5 in Amsterdam ‘Jew hunt,’ topping out at 6 months in prison

Prosecutors have said at least some of the violence against Israeli soccer fans was motivated by ‘the situation in Gaza,’ not antisemitism; 6 more suspects yet to appear at court

Screenshot from a video shows violence on the streets of Amsterdam in which Israelis were attacked by anti-Israel gangs on November 8, 2024. (X screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Screenshot from a video shows violence on the streets of Amsterdam in which Israelis were attacked by anti-Israel gangs on November 8, 2024. (X screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A Dutch court on Tuesday convicted five men for their part in last month’s violence against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam that shocked the world and sparked accusations of antisemitism.

The Amsterdam district court found them guilty of a range of crimes, from kicking fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the street to inciting violence in chat groups.

The heaviest sentence imposed was six months in prison, for a man identified as Sefa O. for public violence against several people.

Israeli officials said 10 people were injured in the violence, while hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found, as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans while they hunted, beat and harassed them.

Police said they were investigating at least 45 people over the violence. Some social media posts had included calls to “hunt Jews,” according to police. The attacks followed two days of skirmishes that also saw Maccabi fans chant anti-Arab songs, vandalize a taxi and burn a Palestinian flag.

Images of the violence went around the world and sparked a furious reaction in Israel, including accusations of a “pogrom.”

The Rechtbank’s criminal courthouse in Amsterdam where five suspects accused of violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fan are on trial, December 11, 2024. (Nick Gammon / AFP)

The most serious case under consideration Tuesday was that of O., who prosecutors said played a “leading role” in the violence.

The court saw images of a man identified as O. kicking a person on the ground, chasing targets, and punching people in the head and the body.

The prosecutor said the beatings had “little to do with soccer” but added that “in this case, there was no evidence of… a terrorist intent and the violence was not motivated by antisemitic sentiment.”

“The violence was influenced by the situation in Gaza, not by antisemitism,” claimed the prosecutor, referring to Israel’s war against Palestinian terror group Hamas, sparked by the latter’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in Israel in which attackers killed 1,200 people and abducted 251.

Another man identified as Umutcan A., 24, received a sentence of one month for assaulting fans and violently ripping a Maccabi scarf from one of them.

Lawyer Anis Boumanjal for defendant Abushabab M. speaks to journalists at the Rechtbank’s criminal courthouse in Amsterdam on December 11, 2024. (Nick Gammon / AFP)

A 22-year-old identified as Abushabab M., 22, faces a charge of attempted murder but his case has been postponed while he undergoes a psychiatric assessment.

He was born in the Gaza Strip and grew up in a war zone, his lawyer told the court, while M. sat sobbing as his case was being heard.

A further six suspects are set to appear at a later stage.

Three of these suspects are minors and their cases will be heard behind closed doors.

At an emotionally charged news conference the morning after the riots, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the city had been “deeply damaged” by “hateful antisemitic rioters.”

However, Halsema later said she regretted the parallel she had drawn between the violence and “memories of pogroms,” arguing that this word had been used as propaganda.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the violence at the time as a “premeditated antisemitic attack,” a description repeated by the Lawfare Project Jewish civil rights organization during the court proceedings.

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