OPINION: This is what ‘globalising the intifada’ looks like
Thursday evening's Amsterdam pogrom must serve as a wake-up call to authorities across Europe.
Jeremy Havardi is a freelance journalist and author
Last night, dozens of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans came under sustained assault from Arab and Muslim rioters in Amsterdam. Horrifying videos emerged showing Israelis being hounded in the streets, kicked on the ground and attacked with weapons. One fan suffered injuries after being hit by a car and another fan, who was forced into a canal, was only allowed out after shouting ‘Free Palestine’.
At least 10 Israelis were hospitalised after the ambush and though others were reportedly missing, all are now accounted for. In homage to the Hamas murderers on October 7, the mobs filmed this vile behaviour so they could showcase their hatred and bigotry.
The onslaught appeared organised rather than spontaneous, according to eye witness accounts, and the Israeli authorities reportedly warned their Dutch counterparts that an incident like this was coming. In other words, these sickening assaults had all the hallmarks of premeditation. This gives the lie to the idea that this was merely a ‘clash’ between hot-headed fans. While there are videos of Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slurs prior to the match, there is no evidence that it contributed to the later violence.
The most deeply disturbing accounts speak of Israelis feeling abandoned by the Dutch authorities while the pogrom unfolded. Likud MK and journalist Boaz Bismuth wrote in a post that he was receiving calls and messages from people in Amsterdam who said that the Dutch authorities were “not helping them at all” and were “not taking action to control the situation”. As a result, Jews were “forced to barricade themselves and hide” as the violence unfolded. The police later made dozens of arrests and the government has promised to hold perpetrators to account.
Yet in view of a recent statement by two individuals from Holland’s Jewish Police Network that there were colleagues who ‘no longer wanted to protect Jewish targets or events’ because of ‘moral dilemmas’, the Dutch authorities must urgently restate their commitment to protecting all such sites, as well as all Jews, resident or visiting, without fear or favour.
This is all the more urgent amid the surge in antisemitic incidents across the country. According to the Dutch Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel, there was an 800% spike in antisemitic incidents in the month after 7 October, including attacks on schools, swastikas sprayed on windows and many instances of online abuse.
Holland’s Chief Rabbi has said that “it is now normal for Jews to be screamed at on the street” and has admitted to not using public transportation due to the fear of being targeted. In August of this year, the Anne Frank statue in Merwedeplein Square was defaced with the words ‘Free Gaza’, demonstrating that no Jewish symbol is too sacred to be spared. That the Amsterdam attack could take place days before the official commemoration of Kristallnacht is both telling and sickening in equal measure.
As to last night’s events, it is now profoundly clear what ‘globalising the intifada’ actually means. It is no mere academic exercise or soundbite designed to stir popular protest about Gaza. Instead, it is a rallying cry for extreme violence against Israelis, and a continuation of the October 7 savagery.
Such assaults are designed to sow fear and anxiety within Jewish communities en route to driving them out altogether. The deep concern now is that such tactics are replicated in other European cities where there is a strong Israeli presence.
The Amsterdam pogrom must serve as a wake-up call to authorities across Europe. Unless they clamp down hard on expressions of hate from the anti-Israel mobs, more people will come under attack and lives may even be lost.
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