Amsterdam, November 7, 2024: The symbolic end of an era

Thursday evening something transpired in Amsterdam that none of us could have imagined. As an Israeli Dutchman who grew up and still lives in the Netherlands it did not come as a complete surprise, yet the scope of the attack was beyond anything I could have imagined. Perhaps the attacks have inspired others already, as Maccabi Berlin’s youth players were attacked on and off the pitch the very next day.

When Maccabi Tel Aviv drew Ajax, I naturally was worried about the former’s chances – considering the result, you can understand why. The second reason why I was worried had to do with the fact that Israeli fans would be visiting the country’s capital. Scenes of hatred towards Israelis and Jews in general, have reverberated throughout the Western world. Contrary to what is usually claimed, the hatred was already on display on October 7, 2023 when people across the globe went out to celebrate Hamas’s ‘success’, despite the fact that numerous gruesome details about the terrorists’ slaughter had already been shared, mostly by the terrorists themselves. The Netherlands has not been an exception. Using pro-Palestinian protests as cover, some of the most disgusting things have been said about Israelis and Jews in general. Amsterdam, especially, has been the setting of much of these sentiments. Earlier this year, student protests at the University of Amsterdam had spiraled out of control. University buildings were vandalized by protesters, leaving behind curiously American statements such as ‘defund the police’ – this shows that the anti-Israel protests are part of a much broader agenda. Apart from the damages, a police officer was doused with ammonia and clips were circulating showing protesters beating a couple of Jewish students with wooden planks. As early as November 2023, one month into the war, a student was forced to receive his diploma in a backroom, because he and his family had taken umbrage during a graduate’s speech, who decided to use the moment to attack Israel. When they voiced their discontent, other students hurled anti-Semitic slurs at them and yelled them out of the auditorium. And on a personal note, the brother of a good friend of mine was verbally attacked by other students at the same university, simply because he stated that he was pro-Israel. All were enrolled in a Hebrew studies program, by the way, and this happened in 2010.

So, Amsterdam, in my humble opinion, is not the greatest place to be right now. Granted, other Dutch cities have seen similar displays of hatred, but the capital currently takes the crown. Therefore, my apprehension was not without reason. Many Israelis have visited Amsterdam on several occasions and like the city and Dutch culture in general. This time around, there was plenty of conviviality as well, as Maccabi fans posted clips of Amsterdam, which showed friendly Dutch people. There was some friction with pro-Palestinian protesters – which was to be expected – but the police managed to keep them separate, mostly. On Wednesday night, there was some more friction, but nothing major. After watching the game I went to bed, but I had a gut feeling that something could still go wrong. Perhaps, I was being overly anxious. The match was over, Maccabi Tel Aviv had lost royally, what could go wrong? The next morning, I woke up and checked the news on my phone and my heart sank.

When Israeli media speak of a ‘pogrom’, I have to say that this is a rather apt description. When the first details emerged, a lot of Dutch media were still scrambling to understand what had happened. Were these not simply clashes between football hooligans? Well, so far the evidence has shown that some Maccabi fans have vandalized Palestinian flags in Amsterdam, several Maccabi fans seem to have beaten up a cab driver on Wednesday, and a number of Maccabi fans sang a horrible song about Gaza, that was translated on social media. But claiming that Thursday night was a response to provocations by a number of Maccabi fans is a poor defense. When football hooligans clash, they tend to confront each other in massive brawls. This was a confrontation between anti-Israel extremists and Israeli football fans – a subtle, but important difference. Moreover, vandalism of flags as well as violence by Maccabi fans can be reported to the police. Instead, there were clips circulating of hooded men burning an Israeli flag – not very original, as Israelis are used to watching their flag being burned throughout the world – and dashcam footage from a cab allegedly shows an Israeli fan hitting the car. It should be added that the cab driver himself is swearing and promising he will do something to him. What is interesting as well, is that the dashcam clip conveniently starts at the time when the man begins hitting his cab – I wonder what happened before that? Nevertheless, multiple Maccabi fans did misbehave but that does not represent the behavior of thousands of supporters who had come to Amsterdam.

When reading the numerous statements made by Maccabi fans, as well as eyewitnesses who were not Israeli at all, and the revolting clips that the perpetrators posted online, it is quite clear that this was not some sort of vigilante justice, as some Dutch media have tried to argue. This was a well-organized and carefully planned hunt for Israelis. To be fair, numerous Dutch media outlets expressed their horror at the acts committed by many locals. But some tried desperately to downplay the events and shift blame to the Israelis. Take popular radio station FunX, for instance. This music station that caters to young people mostly, has a website that includes a news section. It has devoted a total of three posts to this event. On Wednesday, it was quick to devote an article to the misbehavior of Maccabi fans, very skillfully trying to portray all the fans as hooligans. It even included a link to a clip on Instagram, showing a Maccabi fan removing a Palestinian flag from a building. They were right to mention it, but the clear anti-Israel bias reared its ugly head when FunX Amsterdam posted its second article about this topic on Friday. The station was remarkably silent throughout the day and then finally posted something after 2 PM. In this article, they claimed that there were clashes between ‘rioters’ and Maccabi fans and the police, they mentioned mayor Halsema’s condemnation, reported that five people were hospitalized – without including that these were Maccabi fans – and referred to over 60 people being arrested. Then, the article desperately tried to justify the attacks by, once again, blaming Maccabi fans for the unrest on Wednesday and again including the same link to the clip they had added to the first article. No links to clips showing anti-Israel extremists jumping on small groups of Israelis and beating them senseless, even ramming one with a car, no mention of apparently Turkish Fenerbahçe football fans looking for Israelis armed with knives and bottles. And yesterday, FunX has decided to add a short post about Beşiktaş looking for a venue outside of Türkiye to host Maccabi Tel Aviv in their game against them later this month. It was already known for weeks that Maccabi would not be allowed to play in that country, but the post seems to speculate that their decision had something to do with the unrest in Amsterdam. Also, it argues that Maccabi fans were intimidating and violent, before and after the game.

It is clear that multiple Maccabi fans have misbehaved and it should be condemned. But is that a reason to hold thousands of people responsible for the acts of a number of Israelis? Like I said, some media tried to act as apologists, by arguing that the behavior of Israeli fans had caused locals to retaliate – in this case, the concept of proportionality strangely does not seem to be used. So, it is allowed to punch someone’s teeth out, because he is Israeli? It is allowed to jump on one Israeli and kick him to the ground and keep kicking him, while he is unconscious? It is allowed to question people and demand that they show their passports, because you are hunting Israelis? While some decried the double standard and pointed out the misbehavior of Israeli fans prior to the match, it should be stressed that Israeli fans were attacked as well on Wednesday, there is footage that shows this. A cab driver was beaten up by Israeli fans, but cab drivers were actively confronting Israelis on Wednesday, too. And those anti-Israel extremists who attacked Israelis were all wearing face coverings.

A radio station like FunX has deliberately omitted all of these facts. No links were included to clips showing hooded men beating up Israelis. No mention is made of cab drivers actively partaking in the assault by sharing information about locations through groupchats, pointing out where Israelis could be found. No mention is made of a casino security employee who acted as an informer for the attackers. No mention is made of a cab driver who dropped off a Maccabi fan near an alley, where anti-Israel extremists were waiting to beat him up. No mention of a British man who was trying to help an Israeli who was savagely beaten by anti-Israel extremists, only to be beaten by the same people himself. How convenient that all of these details were left out.

Was this a pogrom against Jews? Yes, I believe that is the correct term. Dutch media have said that the hunt was directed at Israelis, but they should ask themselves this: if a Dutch Jew would have been walking the streets wearing a kippah on Thursday night, do we honestly think that these people would have left him alone? And, apparently, a number of people who were not even Israeli were beaten up as well, because the perpetrators thought they were Israeli. These acts were carried out by locals mostly and they filmed their actions and posted them online with pride. FunX can omit these facts and pretend they did not happen. FunX can try to justify, by accusing Israeli fans of starting the hostilities. Other media can try to balance events by pointing out that some Israelis did misbehave. But after all is said and done, we are left with videos of people being hounded and beaten mercilessly by large groups of Israel haters and others getting caught in the middle, because they were perceived as Israeli. And when the numerous victims and eyewitnesses testify that they were attacked by Muslims and Arabs mostly, it provides an opportunity for famous figures to calm the situation and distance themselves. But when former Ajax star Hakim Ziyech, who is Moroccan Dutch, gleefully posts a clip of attackers chasing away an Israeli and then captions it with the taunt that Israelis run away when confronted by men, you know enough. Maybe the noble Hakim will one day show his support for the Sahrawi? Say whatever you want, but there is no justification for a pogrom.

I would like to end by telling my fellow Israelis that you can still visit the Netherlands. There are many people who would treat you as human beings, including Arabs and Muslims, and Dutch culture is known for its friendliness. I am glad that the police eventually did escort some fans to safety and that the Jewish community helped as much as they could. I am also grateful that multiple members of the Amsterdam riot police have stated that they have never experienced anything as shocking as this before and have clearly called it a ‘Jew hunt’. And many fans were saved by Melhem Asad, a Druze Israeli Maccabi fan, who helped his Jewish compatriots avoid the mob, by listening to their conversations in Arabic. It shows, once again, the strength of Israeli society. But, sadly, I do have to warn you that tolerance is slipping. There are plenty of people who do hate us – many of them Muslims and Arabs, but whites as well, who tend to identify with the far-left, who are not afraid to show it – even in the Netherlands. And as I do not wish anyone to be mistreated, I would like to say that when you visit the Low Lands, you should be careful. Think about where you are going, refrain from wearing symbols that are overtly Jewish or Israeli and when speaking Hebrew, always watch your surroundings. I wish it could be like Israel but, sadly, it will never be. We do not have to like it, but sometimes we must adapt.

Welcome to the Diaspora.