From the Liveblog of
Monday, November 11, 2024
After Amsterdam violence, Dutch PM says no excuse for ‘deliberate search and hunting down of Jews’
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof slams a wave of violence against Israeli fans after a soccer match in Amsterdam last week, calling it “unadulterated antisemitic violence,” while insisting that there is no excuse for the “deliberate hunting down of Jews.”
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.
“Four days after the attacks the shock, shame and anger remain. It was unadulterated antisemitic violence. We need hard action” to deal with those responsible, Schoof says at a press conference, adding that “intolerance cannot be met with tolerance.”
Dutch police are investigating images from CCTV cameras as well as from testimony from witnesses who saw the violence, including the attacks on Maccabi fans as well as the conduct of the Israeli fans themselves, according to Dutch media.
“I also know that there are images about the behavior of the Maccabi supporters. This too is being investigated and it is important that all facts are revealed,” Schoof says.
Unverified video on social media purportedly filmed on Thursday appeared to show Maccabi fans chanting anti-Arab slogans.
“But there is a big difference between destroying things and hunting Jews,” Schoof says.
“There is nothing, absolutely nothing to serve as an excuse for the deliberate search and hunting down of Jews,” says the Dutch prime minister, adding: “We have failed our Jewish community.”
Schoof is to meet members of the Jewish community tomorrow to discuss measures to combat antisemitism.
