“Boys on scooters went through the city looking for Israeli supporters, it was a hit and run. I understand that this could evoke memories of the pogroms,” Halsema said during a lively press conference the day after the incident. The term “pogrom” refers to the massacres of Jews at the end of the 19th century in the Russian Empire. It is generally used to refer to extreme violence directed against the Jewish community.
The mayor of Amsterdam says she regrets having used this word which was taken out of context and used for political purposes, both nationally and internationally. “In the days that followed, I saw how the word ‘pogrom’ became very political and was transformed into propaganda. The Israeli government has spoken of a “Palestinian pogrom” in the streets of Amsterdam. In The Hague, the word “pogrom” is often used to discriminate against Moroccans in Amsterdam, Muslims. That’s not what I meant, and that’s not what I had in mind,” she explained.
Read: Amsterdam: faced with accusations, the Moroccan community defends itself and calls for unity
The Amsterdam city councilor clarified his thoughts by saying: “I didn’t make a direct comparison, but I said that I could imagine this feeling. And this is how I wanted to express my sadness. But I am not an instrument in a national and international political fight.” Halsema also criticized local security services for their lack of anticipation of these post-match clashes. “I was not aware of this information… The story of a racist club was never properly told to me.”
The mayor did not fail to condemn the attitude of Israel, which was quick to describe this violence as an attack against Israelis, while Maccabi supporters chanted anti-Arab slogans and tore up Palestinian flags. “We were completely caught off guard by Israel. At 3 a.m., Prime Minister Netanyahu was already giving a lecture about what happened in Amsterdam, while we were still gathering the facts,” she said.
Read: In the Netherlands, a minister of Moroccan origin resigns after racist remarks
This violence which occurred after the Maccabi-Ajax match shook the Dutch government. On Friday, Nora Achahbar, the Minister of Finance, of Moroccan origin, announced her resignation after one of her colleagues made racist remarks against her in the Council of Ministers on the subject of this violence. Two days earlier, Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), accused Moroccans of attacking Israeli supporters. “We saw Muslims chasing Jews,” he said, adding that these attacks were carried out by “Moroccans who want to destroy Jews.”
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