This is what an Israeli woman who arrived in Amsterdam two days before the soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax clubs wrote about the atmosphere in the city: "There were huge gatherings and shouts of 'Death to Arabs' in Amsterdam's main squares, alongside violence against people holding Palestinian flags.”
“We didn’t know that the organized violent reaction from the other side was coming. Leaving the game, 10 Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were roaming the train looking for a Palestinian to 'beat up' (their words). They didn’t find one. They arrived at the central station. At first, everything was fine,” she recalled.
Footage of antisemitic attacks in Amsterdam
“Then, as they left the station, we suddenly heard explosions of very loud firecrackers and many Maccabi Tel Aviv fans started running." Amsterdam police chief Peter Holla condemned the attack on the Israelis two days later, clarifying that "the Israelis started the riots."
A bitter and intense argument arose last Friday between me and my Palestinian friend Taghreed Al-Khodary, an Amsterdam resident who worked as a New York Times correspondent in Gaza. She maintains daily contact with her family in the Strip and is a point of contact for any Palestinian or Arab VIP arriving in Amsterdam.
She refused to accept that "the Israelis were attacked." We had a heated debate. I quoted the King of the Netherlands, ministers and senior officials who insisted on proving that the Arab pogrom against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was planned ahead of time.
Indeed, all indications suggest that the hunt for Israelis in Amsterdam was meticulously planned. Initial investigations revealed that the attackers created a special WhatsApp group to organize the "burning revenge" for the war in Gaza. Israelis who were beaten reported that the blows were accompanied by shouts of "Free Palestine" and "You’re getting this because of Gaza."
The attackers didn’t hesitate to post photos on social media, proudly announcing how they "dealt with the Israelis as they deserved." One message circulated in an Arab WhatsApp group, titled "Hunt the Israelis," explicitly read, "Palestinian flags must be hung around the city so they come out like mice and we’ll pounce on them."
The soccer match itself was peaceful; Arab fans were denied entry and the planned chaos erupted right after, as Israeli fans left on trams, buses and taxis (driven by Arabs) toward their hotels. The attackers insisted on conveying the message that "among the Israelis are soldiers from Gaza who received 'compensation,' and need to be hunted down and dealt with."
One Israeli was asked to state his nationality. He said he was from Greece, but the attackers, impatient, beat him up anyway. Groups of Arabs stopped pedestrians, checked passports and, upon discovering Israelis, stole their documents and beat them.
Dutch police published photos of the detainees – all, without exception, from Arab countries. This is what a pogrom looks like. This is the new antisemitism.
It’s surprising to realize time and again that Muslims, mostly from the Sunni branch – generally considered more moderate within Islam – constitute the second-largest religious group in the Netherlands.
Out of the 17.1 million Dutch citizens, Muslims make up 6% of the population, about one million people. The majority, 149,000, reside in the capital, Amsterdam. Dutch government officials stress religious freedom; for example, the 29,800 Jews in the Netherlands, Muslims have their own schools, mosques, halal butcher shops (the equivalent of Jewish kosher) and clothing stores tailored to women.
Women are allowed to wear veils, except in public schools, hospitals and public transportation. Muslims came to the Netherlands as refugees and asylum seekers. There are some Muslim communities monitored by police and intelligence agencies, but most of the Muslim population asserts: "We live in the Netherlands peacefully and the government allows us to lead our lives as long as security issues don’t come up."
Amsterdam was known as a popular destination for Israeli tourists until this incident. Now estimates are already saying that what happened won’t be forgotten and Israelis will be reluctant to travel to the Netherlands in the near future.
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