Dutch gov’t avoids collapse over handling of antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans

AMSTERDAM — The Dutch cabinet appeared to avoid collapse after meeting in an emergency session on Friday, amid reports the coalition could implode over the government’s handling of violence last week against fans of an Israeli team visiting for a soccer match.

Nora Achahbar quit on Friday as junior finance minister after prominent ministers accused Dutch youths of Moroccan descent of attacking the Israeli fans in Amsterdam around the November 7 match between Dutch side Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, local media cited sources in the cabinet session as saying.

The violence was roundly condemned by Israel and Dutch politicians, with Amsterdam’s mayor saying “antisemitic hit-and-run squads” had attacked Israeli fans.

Israeli officials said 10 people were injured in the Thursday night violence carried out by local Arab and Muslim gangs against Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans. Hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found, as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans while they hunted, beat and harassed them.

Social media footage also showed Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans and pulling down a Palestinian flag before the game.

Achahbar, a former public prosecutor who was born in Morocco, felt comments by several ministers about last week’s events had crossed a line, with hurtful and possibly racist comments about the attacks on the Israeli fans, the De Volkskrant daily reported.

Her resignation triggered Friday’s crisis cabinet meeting in which other cabinet members of her centrist NSC party also threatened to quit, broadcasters NOS and RTL said, citing government sources.

Party leaders were seen joining the meeting at the official residence of Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in The Hague. Schoof later announced the cabinet reached an agreement, resulting in only the resignation of Achahbar but not other members of her party.

If Achahbar’s center-right NSC party were to have left the government, the other three coalition members could have continued as a minority government or called early elections.

The coalition is led by the anti-Muslim populist PVV of Geert Wilders, which came top in a general election a year ago. It was installed in July after months of tense negotiations.

Wilders has repeatedly said Dutch youth of Moroccan descent were the main attackers of the Israeli fans, although police have given no details about the background of the suspects.

Wilders last Wednesday blamed Moroccans for attacks on Israeli soccer fans, claiming that “we saw Muslims hunting Jews” and added it was fueled by ”Moroccans who want to destroy Jews.” He said those convicted of involvement should be deported if they have dual nationality.

Schoof said on Monday the incidents showed that some of the youth in the Netherlands with an immigrant background did not share “Dutch core values.”

Opposition legislators accused Wilders of pouring oil on the fire. Wilders, whose party became the biggest in last year’s election, also sowed some dissent within the four-party coalition with his comments.

The leader of the Green-left-Socialist opposition, Frans Timmermans, lauded Achahbar even before any move was announced.

“In this government, racist remarks are the order of the day. This government is not for all Dutch people,” he said.

Ahead of the emergency meeting, NSC acting leader Nicolien van Vroonhoven said “we will see” if the party wanted to continue in the government coalition.

“We have had to swallow quite a bit, it’s difficult,” Van Vroonhoven told reporters at the gates of Schoof’s official residence in The Hague.

According to public broadcaster NOS, Achahbar designed to resign due to “unhappiness with incidents within the cabinet after the violence in Amsterdam involving the game between Ajax and Tel Aviv Maccabi.”

“Last Monday, during the cabinet meeting, things reportedly got heated, and in Achahbar’s opinion racist statements were made,” it said.

“Achahbar reportedly indicated then that she, as a minister, had objections to certain language used by her colleagues,” NOS added.

The ruling coalition led by Schoof has 88 seats in parliament between the NSC, Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV), the Liberal VVD and the farmer-friendly BBB party.

Neither Wilders nor Achahbar had publicly commented as the cabinet meeting was ongoing on Friday afternoon.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.