Published: 12 November 2024
Last updated: 12 November 2024
Mob violence against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam on Thursday night realised the deepest fears of Jewish people everywhere.
The image of Jews being hunted and beaten on the streets of Europe caught our breath, all the more so in the home city of Anne Frank, the girl who has become a symbol for the entire Holocaust.
There are many differences between what happened in Amsterdam on Thursday night and the antisemitism of historical Europe, but none of them masks the core similarity. Jews were hunted and attacked. Nothing justifies it.
Having made that point clearly, it behoves us to understand exactly what happened, its context and limitations, not to excuse or minimise it but to face it clear-eyed and to guard against its recurrence.
Following a soccer game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Amsterdam’s Ajax on Thursday night, hundreds of attackers sought out and beat Israeli Maccabi fans. Five people were hospitalised, at least one thrown into a canal, and many others injured. Dutch police detained 62 offenders, fining 40 and charging four with more serious offences.
A second wave of attacks occurred on Monday night when a tram was set on fire and rioters threw debris and shouted "Kanker Joden" ("Cancer Jews", a strong Dutch obscenity).
There is clear evidence that Thursday's attacks were premeditated. Taxi drivers held a meeting ahead of the attacks and social media messages incited others to join a “Jew Hunt”. “Tomorrow after the match at night part 2 Jew Hunt”, read one message in a WhatsApp group called Buurthuis (community centre) Palestine.
Comments4
J Messer16 November at 11:01 pm
While Israel continues its genocidal actions on Palestinians and kills citizens of Lebanon, killing entire families, this violence will continue and grow. The moral authority of the Holocaust – such as the protest in this editorial that the Amsterdam violence occurred in the city of Anne Frank – cannot be invoked again and again, while Israel’s population, culture, infrastructure and economic genocide continues.
The antisemitic violence in Amsterdam should indeed alert governments across the world to the violent threats against Jews that are growing. But we can all be certain that the one government that doesn’t care about the spread of antisemitism beyond its borders and the wellbeing of diaspora Jews, is the Israeli government.
J Felnan12 November at 09:41 am
In response to one of the comments: it is a false equivalence to suggest that violence against Jews in Europe or elsewhere is acceptable because of the actions of the current Israeli government. Should you face retribution on an international trip as a ‘proud Australian’ because the Australian government breaks international human rights laws with their treatment of asylum seekers? Or because of minimalist actions by respective Australian governments regarding global warming, which will result in devastation and death across the globe and huge waves of migration, should you accept the scientific research presented so far? Provocations are just that – there is no automatic right to violent response. The Guardian article referenced above refers to 2500 protest marches by Palestinian supporters which as far as i can see did not result in any violent responses from Jews or supporters of israel- an example from Reuters of the outcome of one of these protests: “AMSTERDAM, May 7 (Reuters) – Police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters as thousands marched in the Dutch capital on Tuesday, a day after riot police violently broke up an encampment at Amsterdam University. … The university said in a statement that an initially peaceful student protest which began on Monday afternoon had turned hostile, with beatings, throwing of fireworks and the burning of an Israeli flag.
The university provided a list of its Israel programmes to meet a request by student groups, but a core of the protesters were not satisfied and refused to leave.
“We deeply regret that things went the way they did. Demonstrating is permitted at the UvA, but without covered faces, barricades or an atmosphere of intimidation,” it said. (https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-police-end-pro-palestinian-demonstration-amsterdam-university-2024-05-07/ )
Joseph Silver12 November at 06:47 am
Israel’s decision to send a special El Al flight to bring home the fans was a stunt? I’m sure the Israelis wanting to get out of Amsterdam quickly and safely would disagree with your misguided cynicism.
Wesley Parish12 November at 06:25 am
I think we should label the Maccabi fans chanting their anti-Arab chant as “Jewish-Israeli tribalism”. And I think the knee-jerk reaction of the European press and govts labelling it “antisemitism” didn’t help any. I think Israel’s widely-known abuses towards Palestinians is more than enough incitement – so if we are to halt antisemitic incitement, we should first require it from the Israeli govt, and in particular their claim to represent all Jews worldwide.