Shocking “Jew Hunt” in Amsterdam Leaves The Nation Shaken

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Controversy erupted in the Netherlands after violence sparked around a Europa soccer game match between the Netherlands’s Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, where Israeli soccer fans were reportedly targeted, harassed, and assaulted by hordes of young people allegedly provoked by calls on social media to target Jewish and Israeli people in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam.

 

 

In a report published on November 11th, the Amsterdam City Hall said an independent investigation was launched into the events and how Dutch authorities responded to the violence before, during, and after the soccer match.

The report, in its initial conclusion, said that “what has happened over the past few days was the consequence of a toxic cocktail of antisemitism, hooliganism, and anger over the war in Palestine, Israel, and other countries in the Middle East.”

Tensions have been brewing days before the match between Ajax and Maccabi. Authorities banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the soccer stadium where the game took place, and Amsterdam’s police chief Peter Holla confirmed that there have been incidents "on both sides.”

 

 

According to police, Israeli fans removed a Palestinian flag from the facade of a building and set it on fire, shouting “F*** you, Palestine” and vandalizing a taxi. Videos from social media also showed Maccabi fans setting off flares and chanting in Hebrew, “olé, olé, let the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] win, we will f*** the Arabs,” further taunting that there were “no children” left in Gaza. 

After the match, where Ajax won against Maccabi, numerous attacks occurred, many of them were “hit and run,” as described by Amsterdam's mayor Femke Halsema, against Maccabi fans across the city. Footage showed masked youths on scooters and e-bikes seeking out, chasing down, and beating victims. 

 

 

Witness accounts and screenshots of mobile phone messages suggest some were targeted as Jews, being asked if they were Jewish or to show their passports. On the night of November 11th, tensions remained high as dozens of people carrying sticks and firecrackers set an empty tram on the city’s '40-'45 Square and smashed its windows. 

Dutch authorities said five people were hospitalized but later released, while some 20 to 30 victims suffered light injuries. Meanwhile, around 800 Dutch police officers made a total of 62 arrests before, during, and after the soccer match, primarily for public order offenses, with the report from the city hall saying that 10 Israelis were among those detained. Most of those arrested were released with a fine, but four men, identified as Dutch nationals between the ages of 16 and 26, were still in custody.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he dispatched two airplanes with medical teams and soldiers to evacuate Israelis, but these never materialized. Instead, Israel’s flag carrier El Al operated free "rescue flights" to help evacuate Israelis from Amsterdam and bring them back to Israel.

 

 

The violence ignited condemnation and horror among several leaders in the Netherlands and the rest of the world, with Netanyahu denouncing the “planned antisemitic attack against Israeli citizens,” even comparing the violence in Amsterdam to the Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) in 1938, an antisemitic pogrom where an estimated 91 Jews were killed.

The King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, also strongly condemned the incident, saying that Jewish people must find freedom and safety in the Western European country.

“We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during the Second World War,” Willem-Alexander said, referring to how 75% of Jews in the Netherlands were killed during the Holocaust, the highest proportion in Western Europe. “And last night, we failed again.” 

 

 

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who flew back home early from a summit of EU leaders in the Hungarian capital Budapest, described the violence as “shameful”, “unacceptable,” and a “turning point,” promising that “the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted.”

He also added that he was aware of the allegations of racism, violence, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab sentiment against Maccabi fans. Still, he noted that “there is a big difference between destroying things and hunting Jews. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can excuse for the deliberate searching and hunting down of Jews.”

The violence raised questions about the safety and security of Israeli sports fans elsewhere in Europe and led to a review of security details of matches involving Israeli teams. For instance, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) said that a Maccabi match against the Turkish team Beşiktaş, set initially to be played in Istanbul, will be moved to a more neutral venue.

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