In the Netherlands, and elsewhere, leaders, observers and media were quick to condemn the Muslim community for the violent incidents that occurred on November 7 during the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, while standing by away from the real provocateurs.
Israeli supporters, although quick to sing Islamophobic chants and wave anti-Arab slogans, have clearly escaped the critical eye of Western political elites and media, who seem to prefer to focus on reactions to provocations, even calling them ” anti-Semites.
Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV) and leading figure of the Dutch far right, took advantage of this opportunity to add fuel to the fire. During a parliamentary debate, he decided to attribute full responsibility for the clashes to the Muslim community, particularly the Dutch of Moroccan origin. He described these events as a “pogrom of the worst kind,” painting an apocalyptic picture of Jews being beaten, stabbed, and even thrown into water.
Sticking to his extreme movement and in an eminently racist proposal, Wilders, of course, seized this moment to demand the revocation of the Dutch nationality of dual nationals, thus working for an exclusion based on ethnic and religious criteria, and seeking to classify the Dutch according to a class principle.
For her part, the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, tried to bring some nuance to this dark picture, while confusing anti-Israeli acts and anti-Semitism. In a report, she describes the events as a “toxic cocktail” mixing anti-Semitism, hooliganism and political tensions. Halsema, however, recalled that, regardless of the tensions, nothing justifies a call for violence or the “hunting of Jews”.
On the other hand, the racist and Islamophobic acts and remarks as well as the anti-Arab slogans of Israeli supporters do not seem to attract the same attention or intensity of condemnation, even if the origin of these incidents was caused by Israelis who came to vandalize the streets of Amsterdam, threatening residents and beating up those who look like Arabs.
However, this has not gone unnoticed by certain Moroccan organizations active in the Netherlands, who attribute responsibility for these incidents to the approximately 3,000 supporters of the Israeli club, many of whom are believed to be members of the army and intelligence services of their country.
A declaration was co-signed by the European Center for Human Rights, the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Migration and Development (EMCEMO), the United Socialist Party, the Labor Democratic Way Party, the Association of Moroccan Workers in the Netherlands Bas (KMAN), the Aknari Foundation, the Coalition against Islamophobia and Racism, as well as the Moroccan Initiative for Human Rights, to denounce the provocations of the Israeli club’s supporters.
These organizations believe that the arrival of these supporters, many of whom traveled especially from Israel, was aimed not only at supporting their club, but also at sowing confusion and destabilizing security and peaceful coexistence in the Netherlands. This could be seen the day before the match, when all their provocations and heists were not repressed by the Dutch police who instead escorted and protected these hooligans.
The organizations also denounced media treatment deemed “ biased and aligned with the Zionist narrative“, while denouncing the “spreading false information regarding the origin of the violence”. They claim that the riots constituted a “ legitimate reaction » in the face of provocations and attacks initiated by Maccabi supporters, whose hostilities had started the day before, November 6, 2024.
Furthermore, it is emphasized that the Dutch police failed in their duty when they failed to intervene to prevent violence, thereby allowing Israeli supporters to freely express hate speech, vandalize property and attack people. citizens of Amsterdam without fear of repercussions.
Added to this is the resignation of the Dutch Minister of Finance (of Moroccan origin), Nora Achahbar in protest against the racist remarks made by some of these fellow members of the Dutch government and their treatment of these incidents of violence.
According to the Dutch media NOS, Nora Achahbar denounced “racist statements” made during the council of ministers. As a minister, she had previously expressed her objections to certain terms used by her colleagues.
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