Recent scenes from Amsterdam were horrifying. Violence continued this week throughout the typically placid city after pro-Palestinian rioters violently attacked Jewish fans of the soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv. Palestinian supporters allege Israeli soccer fans instigated the riots, but news reports suggest it was orchestrated in advance via social media.
Rioters burned trams and participated in what one Dutch official called a “Jew hunt.” In the latest news, the Israeli airline El Al sent eight flights to the Netherlands to airlift 2,000 people out of the country. Authorities in Paris have set up security measures in anticipation of soccer games there.
The British Daily Mail quoted an eyewitness to one of the encounters: “As we walked towards the bar area, chaos broke out – mopeds appeared from alleyways and a crowd surrounded an Israeli man.” They “viciously kicked” him and then confronted the onlookers and asked, “Are you Yehudi? Are you Jewish?” It’s the largest such attack in Europe, but is not an isolated incident following the war in Gaza.
The attacks have left residents of the notoriously tolerant nation shell shocked. “We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during the Second World War and last night we failed again,” Netherlands King Willem-Alexander told the Israeli president. Three quarters of Dutch Jews were rounded up and sent to German death camps.
Related Articles
Newsom shrugs as CARB boosts gasoline prices
Newsom needs to ditch the special session stunt, focus on fixing the mess he’s made of California
With Prop. 33 defeated, here’s what to do
Rent-control delusions won’t fix California housing mess. Here’s what to do instead.
Voters get practical on ballot measures
However heartfelt, such sentiments need to be backed by stern action. The Israeli government has loudly complained to Dutch authorities about the low number of arrests. Whatever one’s views of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it’s never acceptable to engage in violence – and certainly not based on people’s religion or nationality.
Yet even as the violence continues, some observers have downplayed the events. Columbia University professor Joseph Massad argued recently that “Holland’s support for genocidal Israeli fans and condemnation of its own citizens as ‘anti-Semitic’ is the latest manifestation of its fanatical support for Israel and racist history.”
That’s a morally confused take. Until everyone can agree on the seemingly basic point that racist street violence is always inexcusable, expect more of these shameful spectacles.