Jewish Students in Amsterdam University in an interview with ynet studio
(צילום: אסף חן)
"Being Jewish and a Zionist is as important part of my identity and it is not safe now to show it," said David, who refuses to identify by his real name or show his face, adding that as soon as he wears a kippah or is identified as Jewish or a Zionist, he becomes a target of anti-Israel protesters' violence.
David and Levi, students at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) both spoke to Ynet on Thursday, with their faces off camera, after one of them was assaulted by a protester, as seen in a clip that spread on social media.
Dutch police entered the university, removed the student, supporting Hamas, who occupied a building on campus, set up by the Hamas supporters, and dispersed the protesters. Some 125 people were arrested in sometimes violent clashes.
"I was attacked by this guy in a kufiyah and he hit me full on the head with a wooden plank in full rage," he said. "I filmed both of the guys to show their faces to the world and what I saw in his face, the pure evil and hate, reminded me of the hate I saw in the eyes of the Hamas terrorists on October 7."
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Pro-Hamas protesters assault Jewish students at Amsterdam university
(Photo: Screenshot)
Both students said they in fact felt safer when they were in Israel recently because of the spread of protests and the support for Hamas seen also by the many flags hanging out of apartment windows in the city. But that has not yet prompted them to move away and immigrate to Israel. David explained that as well as being Jewish and a Zionist, he is also Dutch, and his family had lived in Holland for centuries.
"I think we as Jews in the diaspora have a very important job to advocate for the state of Israel in our countries, to guarantee support for Israel," Levy said.