‘We Failed the Jewish Community’: Pro-Hamas Muslim Mob Carries Out Pogrom Against Israeli Soccer Fans in Amsterdam

Latest Developments

• Anti-Jewish Mobs Prowl the Streets of Amsterdam: Several people were injured in Amsterdam on the evening of November 7, as antisemitic mobs hunted down Israeli soccer fans who had traveled to watch Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv play in the Dutch capital. With scenes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared to Kristallnacht, a Muslim mob rioted in the streets, stabbing, beating, and running down Israeli fans in a post-match pogrom that lasted hours. Dutch King Willem-Alexander told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that “We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during World War II, and last night we failed again.”

• Dutch Authorities Failed to Protect Jews: Despite Israel providing Dutch authorities with advanced warning that several pro-terror Palestinian organizers were planning the “ambush,” Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema announced tightened security measures in the city only after the pogrom. A month earlier, some Dutch police officers refused to protect Jewish sites over “moral” concerns.

• Israel Sends Relief as Evacuation Efforts Begin: The Israeli government urged its citizens to stay off the streets of Amsterdam and dispatched rescue flights to evacuate them, with the first landing back in Israel in the afternoon of November 8. An investigation is ongoing, with cooperation between Israeli and Dutch police. Amsterdam also announced a ban on demonstrations for the next three days.

FDD Expert Response

“Make no mistake: what we saw in Amsterdam on Thursday night was a pogrom, but the perpetrators were not white neo-Nazis. The violence was instigated and executed by Arab and Turkish thugs. The Dutch authorities failed to protect Jews under attack, just as they did almost a century ago. That can’t be undone, but the Netherlands can restore some credibility by taking swift and uncompromising action: maximum prison sentences for those who are Dutch citizens, immediate deportation and a permanent ban for those who are not.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Manager

“The targeting of Jews solely because of their religion is a troubling and persistent issue. Concealing religious garments and requiring armed guards at a place of worship due to threats by Islamists and other extremists have become a familiar and unacceptable reality for Jews in Europe. The troubling fact is that the United States is experiencing similar signs of antisemitism. This threat must be addressed by society before the next pogrom on Jews happens not in a faraway country, but on American soil.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“The intifada has been globalized, and any remaining Hamas members must have surely taken pride in seeing the acts of violence done against Jews in their name in Amsterdam. Counterterrorism officials must recognize that homegrown violent extremism poses one of the most substantial homeland security threats in the age of social media and unstemmed illegal immigration. Foreign-inspired radicalization and terror attacks will continue to become a reality for peace-loving nations if these self-imported problems are not addressed.” — Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor

FDD Background and Analysis

“A Weapon Against the West: Antisemitism and its anti-American Objectives,” by Behnam Ben Taleblu and Emily de La Bruyère

“What Biden didn’t say about antisemitism,” by Ben Cohen

“Islamist Gunman Shot by German Police Near Israeli Consulate in Munich,” FDD Flash Brief

“Germany Closes Islamic Center Due to Iran and Hezbollah Ties,” FDD Flash Brief