After visiting Israeli soccer fans were chased and assaulted in the streets of Amsterdam following a soccer match last November, several people appeared at a Dutch court on December 11th for taking part in a night of violence that made headlines and sparked accusations of antisemitism.
The trials of seven suspects who orchestrated the Amsterdam Pogrom revealed the attack was premeditated.
Organizers worked for days to bus in culprits from across the Netherlands to ambush Israelis, whom the attackers often referred to simply as “Jews.”https://t.co/j76RLR8iE9— Jewish News Syndicate (@JNS_org) December 13, 2024
Seven suspects, including five men ranging in age from 19 to 32, have already appeared in court after being charged with several offenses, including "committing acts of violence against the public,” incitement to violence, and spreading antisemitic messages in a Whatsapp group, which had also been central to the trial. In staggered appearances, the suspects faced a three-men bench at the Amsterdam District Court.
The Whatsapp group in question, called "Buurthuis 2" (Community Center 2), was initially called "Free Palstine" [sic] and became one of the main sources of violence against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam.
The prosecution is sourcing much of the evidence from the Whatsapp group, which contained messages urging people to confront Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans. These messages included a flurry of messages saying "GATHER CENTRAL STATION," "NOW OR NEVER," and "WE MUST MAKE THOSE JEWS FEEL WHAT THEY DID TO OUR BROTHERS."
Hahahahahahahha you think anyone believes this?
— Shylo (@FeatherCastle87) November 9, 2024
Prosecutors used the messages in the Whatsapp group as evidence that the attack was primarily driven by anger over Israeli actions in Gaza rather than hatred for Jews.
"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," the prosecutors said.
During the trial, Dutch prosecutors also called for a 22-year-old man identified as Sefa O to be imprisoned for two years after being suspected of punching and kicking Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam following the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The court saw images of a man believed to be Sefa O kicking a person in the ground, chasing targets, and punching people in the head and body. A prosecutor accused Sefa O of having a "leading role" in the violence, which “had little to do with football.” Sefa O had been in custody since November 19, around 11 days after the incident, after he handed himself to the police.
Damn you should probably stop commiting genocide, seems to offend people
— RaisingWildFire (@RaisingWildfire) December 15, 2024
Sefa O, who sat hunched and looking down at his hands, said he "very much regretted his presence" at the violence and that he wanted "to start a new life" with his family.
Aside from Sefa O, prosecutors also called for a second suspect, identified as Lucas D., to be imprisoned for six months for illegal possession of fireworks and for throwing stones at police officers.
Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans suffered "hit-and-run" attacks in the city center following calls on social media to target them, prompting Dutch and Israeli officials that the attacks had antisemitic motives.
They did, their "fans" were coached by Mossad operatives who arrived a week early to scout locations and plan an incident.
The confrontation was scripted by both sides.— Tom Hatcher (@TomHatc17859644) November 10, 2024
The attacks followed two days of skirmishes that saw Maccabi fans chant anti-Arab songs, burn a Palestinian flag, and vandalize a taxi. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service said, "charges have also been laid against Maccabi fans, who displayed provocative behavior before the game.”
Six more suspects, three of them minors, are set to appear in court at a later date. Their cases will be heard behind closed doors.
The incident and its aftermath left the Dutch capital reeling and sparked a debate over polarization between its various communities. At the time of the attacks, Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema said the city had been "deeply damaged" by "hateful antisemitic rioters" after a night of "unbearable" violence.
