Anti-Semitic attacks and hooligans – these are the facts

Last week, young men in Amsterdam were allegedly hunting Jews. He has also been abused by Israeli fans before. What we know.

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Following a football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, reports from the Netherlands shocked the world. People quickly began discussing the anti-Semitic “Holocaust” and many videos were shared on social media.

But that's not the whole story. In particular, there have been provocative behaviors and property damage by individual Maccabi fans before football matches.

We search for facts amid a tangle of emotions and ideologies:

Dutch report

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema wants to know the situation and has prepared a report on incidents related to the football match. The article was published on Tuesday night on behalf of the judiciary and police, the Daily Herald reported.

intelligence assessment

Reports say authorities in Amsterdam knew in advance that it would be a sensitive match and that it also took place on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht. So the city sought an assessment from the Secret Service. He said there was no doubt there was a concrete threat to fans or players.

The days leading up to the game were tense. Threats targeting fans of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv – “aggressive and willing to take action” – have emerged in WhatsApp and Telegram groups.

Property damage caused by some Maccabi fans

On Wednesday and Thursday evening, 50 Maccabi fans marched through the center of Amsterdam. They destroyed a Palestinian flag on a house. Some of them took off their seat belts and damaged the taxi.

Several taxi drivers followed the call online and drove to the Holland Casino, where there were about 400 Maccabi fans. Thanks to the help of the police, no major confrontations occurred.

Amsterdam authorities considered canceling Thursday's game. However, this is legally impossible and would cause more unrest.

Attack on Israeli fans

Thursday and Friday nights were marked by post-match scenes of anti-Semitic scenes and abuse by individual Maccabi fans. Five people had to be hospitalized and 20 to 30 suffered minor injuries. Various videos and photos documented the act. However, some of the recordings shared on social media “did not relate to Amsterdam nor the period in which the incident occurred,” the report said.

A video sold to Reuters actually showed no persecution of Jews at all, but a group of Maccabi fans who in turn attacked people in Amsterdam.

arrests

Police arrested 62 people during football matches. 49 of them live in the Netherlands and 10 in Israel. Four people, aged between 16 and 26, remain in custody. Five additional suspects were identified and arrested through surveillance footage.

Mayor's conclusion

Mayor Halsema reportedly said what was happening in Amsterdam was “the result of a mixture of anti-Semitism, hooliganism and anger at wars between Palestine and Israel and other countries in the Middle East.”

The Times Facts

anti-semitic attacks

The New York Times (NYT) said it was able to verify 12 videos showing a group of people heckling, stalking or beating others in search of Maccabi fans.

One of the videos shows a man dragging another man across the floor while the other man insults him.

Interviews with witnesses and officials in Amsterdam, as well as screenshots of text messages and online videos reviewed by The New York Times, suggest the attackers specifically sought out Israeli and Jewish victims. Some victims were stopped and asked whether they were Israelis or Jews. Video reviewed by The New York Times showed individuals being asked to show their passports. Some people say in pain that they are not Jewish. This video shows one such incident (trigger warning: violence).

The New York Times reported that a casino where Israeli fans had taken refuge said it had fired a security guard who promised in a group chat to notify the casino if Israelis showed up again. Someone in the group replied:

Violent behavior by Maccabi fans

Two videos show how a group of men, several wearing Maccabi jerseys, chased and beat a man, The New York Times reported.

A video verified by The New York Times shows a man hitting a taxi with an object:

Another video confirmed by The New York Times shows a group of men, many wearing Maccabi colors, picking up objects from a construction site and attacking a man with them:

The New York Times confirmed another video showing Maccabi fans arriving at the airport. Some of them started chanting anti-Arab slogans:

The New York Times did not release a complete list of the videos it verified.