The reports and videos of mobs of antisemitic hoodlums attacking Israelis in Amsterdam on Nov. 7 are horrifying, upsetting and alarming. But unfortunately, not surprising.
The Netherlands is no friend of Israel or the Jewish people. Indeed, the Dutch are among the most vocal of Israel’s international critics. So, it’s not all that surprising — even if very upsetting — that Amsterdam’s political leaders and police have allowed a disturbing increase in Jew-hatred to grow in their city under the guise of political opposition to Israel’s efforts to defend itself against terror and threatened annihilation.
The Amsterdam attacks had all the markings of a pogrom.
Hundreds of Israeli fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer club traveled to Amsterdam to attend an evening soccer match against the city’s local team, Ajax. Earlier in the week, a pro-Palestinian group applied for a permit to protest outside the stadium to target the Israeli team and its fans. The permit was denied.
Even though the Amsterdam police knew about the pro-Palestinian plans, it does not appear that they did anything to protect the Israeli team and fans. That decision was even more egregious since it also came after Israel’s Diaspora Ministry warned the Dutch police about the high-risk situation and urged extra caution and protection.
The soccer match ended without incident. And then all hell broke loose. A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators were lying in wait outside the stadium where the game was played and throughout the center city area and attacked the Israeli fans as they left the game and headed to restaurants and their hotels.
Amsterdam police said five people were hospitalized following the attacks and 62 people were arrested. But far more than five people were attacked and there were hundreds more than the 62 arrested who participated in what are reported to be coordinated attacks. Equally disturbing are multiple reports from victims that the lackluster response of the Amsterdam police allowed the violence to continue.
Dutch authorities reacted “with horror” to the attacks, with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof bemoaning the “completely unacceptable antisemitic attacks of Israelis.”
Forgive us if we don’t thank the prime minister for his concern. But frankly, actions speak much louder than words. Antisemitic incidents have surged in the Netherlands following Israel’s response to the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, and neither Schoof nor anyone else seems to be doing very much about it.
The Amsterdam attacks occurred exactly 86 years after the horrific Kristallnacht, and it serves as a haunting reminder of antisemitism rearing its ugly head.
Amsterdam’s Ajax soccer team won last week’s soccer match against Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv team. But the Netherlands, the city of Amsterdam, its police force and its leadership have lost our respect.
