‘History is repeating itself’: Amsterdam in shock after wave of antisemitic violence
Two days after mass organized attacks following soccer match in Dutch capital, residents and Jewish groups voice dismay at events that mayor says have ‘deeply damaged’ the city
Two days after a wave of violence against Israelis in Amsterdam — which saw mass, organized attacks on Thursday night following a soccer match there — residents and Jewish groups voiced shock at the events, which the mayor said had “deeply damaged” the city.
In the Jodenbuurt, Amsterdam’s Jewish quarter, members of the community were keeping a low profile Saturday, but one T-shirt seller at a local market said he felt “terrible” about the violence in his home city.
Israeli officials said 10 people were injured in the overnight violence by local Arab and Muslim gangs against Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans. 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.
Five Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were briefly hospitalized in attacks that sparked outrage around the world. The violence came amid a rise in antisemitism globally since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s brutal October 7 massacre last year in southern Israel.
“It’s painful, it’s frightening and it’s a shame,” said the 58-year-old T-shirt vendor, who declined to give his name for security reasons.
“I feel also the shame which every Amsterdammer has to feel because again as if history is repeating itself, Jews are attacked just because of the fact they are Jews,” he added.
He said he was at the game on Thursday night, after which groups of men on scooters attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in several locations around the city.
‘Way too far’
Tensions ran high even before the match, with isolated clashes the day before on the streets of Amsterdam. Police said Maccabi fans had burned a Palestinian flag on the Dam central square and vandalized a taxi.
But the atmosphere at the match was “fantastic” between the two sets of supporters, said the man.
Nevertheless, he said he knew a friend who had been attacked with his 17-year-old son following the match.
“Even if there is a place for criticism about Israel in this conflict, that’s of course not the way… to express it, attacking innocent people,” said the man, who grew up in Israel but has lived in Amsterdam for 34 years.
One shopper in the market, 61-year-old Edit Tuboly, also voiced shock at the violence.
“I am completely against what Israel is doing in the Gaza Strip and I think that’s horrible and crossing boundaries too,” said Tuboly, arms full of shopping bags.
“But what has happened in Amsterdam has gone too far, way too far.”
Jewish group says Netherlands should be ‘ashamed’
As well as the market, AFP reporters visited the Jewish museum and the main synagogue in the city, guarded by police in a calm atmosphere.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema has introduced special security measures to restore calm to the city, including a ban on demonstrations for three days that was later extended for four additional days.
The Jewish community in Amsterdam has given the city the nickname “Mokum” or “safe haven,” and it has historically been seen as a refuge.
Globally, the city is renowned for being where Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis during World War II but was eventually denounced and deported to Auschwitz, wrote her diary.
“We thought so far that Amsterdam or Holland were spared from such extreme violence targeted against Jews,” said the market stallholder.
The CJO Jewish Association said the Netherlands should be “ashamed” of what it described as a “pogrom” in the city.
However, Joana Cavaco, head of Erev Rav, which describes itself as an “Antizionist Jewish Collective” in the Netherlands, said the Maccabi fans had behaved provocatively when they arrived in the city, noting that they had torn down Palestinian flags and shouted anti-Arab slogans.
“They can do that because in Israel, there wouldn’t be Palestinian flags. That may be so in Israel but it’s not like this in the Netherlands,” said the 28-year-old.
Some videos on social media showed Israeli Maccabi fans chanting against Arabs. It was not known when exactly those videos were captured, but in them fans were heard chanting, “We’ll fuck the Arabs” and “Fuck you Palestine.”
Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv hooligans, protected by police, chanted anti-Arab slurs and a genocidal song in Amsterdam, including lines like “no schools in Gaza because there are no children left” & “Let the IDF win to fuck the Arabs”.
They also attacked Palestinian flags.
This… pic.twitter.com/MIposXA2vx
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 8, 2024
Cavaco said a ceremony in Amsterdam to commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the notorious 1938 Nazi pogrom, had been scrapped after Thursday night’s violence.
“It feels unsafe because Israel dictated how the world sees us,” she said.
Israel said on Friday that it held Dutch authorities responsible for the safety of its citizens. It initially said it was sending military cargo planes to fly people home from the Dutch capital, but later canceled the plan, saying it had been decided that supporting civil aviation efforts was sufficient. Israelis were advised to head back home as early as possible, with planes expected to land in Amsterdam in the coming hours.
