‘Pogrom’ in Amsterdam: Netanyahu Sends Planes to Save Jews

November 8, 2024

by: JNS

Friday, 8 November 2024 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated at about 4:30 a.m. local time that he was dispatching two rescue planes to Amsterdam following a “very violent incident against Israeli citizens.”

“The harsh pictures of the assault on our citizens in Amsterdam will not be overlooked,” Netanyahu’s office stated. “Prime Minister Netanyahu views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity and demands that the Dutch government and security forces take vigorous and swift action against the rioters, and ensure the safety of our citizens.”

The Israeli National Security Council stated in Hebrew that Israelis in Amsterdam should remain in their hotel rooms and avoid the street, refrain from wearing visible Jewish or Israeli symbols and notify Dutch police and the Israeli mission about any threat or attack. The council also advised Israelis to return to home, with more planes expected.

Earlier in the day, Maccabi Tel Aviv lost 5-0 to Ajax Amsterdam in a Europa League soccer game. Various reports indicate that Israeli fans were attacked—with some reports of injuries—after leaving the game. Some reports indicated that up to dozens of people were arrested.

Geert Wilders, who leads the largest political party in the Netherlands, wrote that it “looks like a Jew hunt in the streets of Amsterdam.”

“Arrest and deport the multicultural scum that attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in our streets,” Wilders wrote. “Ashamed that this can happen in he Netherlands. Totally unacceptable.”

“A pogrom [is a form of riot directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious or other] in the streets of Amsterdam. We have become the Gaza of Europe,” he added in another post. “Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews.”

“I will not accept that. Never,” he wrote. “The authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens. Never again.”

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, wrote that “we are receiving very disturbing reports of extreme violence against Israelis and Jews on the streets of Holland. There is a pogrom currently taking place in Europe in 2024.”

“These are the true faces of the supporters of the radical terrorism we are fighting. The western world needs to wake up now,” he wrote. “This is the time when the UN should immediately and clearly condemn the violence of the Palestinians and their supporters. The Dutch authorities must take decisive action against terrorism now.”

Deborah Lipstadt, the US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, wrote that she is “horrified by the attacks tonight in Amsterdam, which are terribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom.”

“I am also deeply disturbed by how long the reported attacks lasted and call on the government to conduct a thorough investigation into security force intervention and on how these despicable attacks transpired,” Lipstadt wrote. “In terrible historical irony, this is happening two days before the grim anniversary of Reichspogromnacht in 1938, when Nazi-sanctioned and led pogroms against Jews erupted across the German Reich.”

“This is outrageous. The government of the Netherlands must protect Jews from these attacks and prosecute the assailants,” wrote Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.). “I’m putting together a group of Jewish members of Congress to discuss this with the Dutch ambassador tomorrow.”

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) wrote that “the hysterical and hyperbolic demonization of Israel has led to a global outbreak of antisemitic vitriol, vandalism and violence. The single most monstrous manifestation of antisemitism is a pogrom that is presently unfolding against hundreds of Jews who were cheering on the Tel Aviv football club in Amsterdam.”

“Those inciting antisemitism now have the blood of a 21st-century pogrom on their hands,” he stated. “The situation is so dire that the Israeli government is dispatching rescue teams for Jews in danger. I am sick to my stomach that a pogrom is happening in the 21st century.”

What ‘Globalize the Intifada’ Looks Like

Melissa Lantsman, a member of the Canadian Parliament and deputy leader of the Conservative Party, wrote that “the scenes from the streets of Amsterdam tonight are absolutely horrific.”

“This is what ‘globalize the intifada’ looks like,” Lantsman wrote. “Don’t look the other way. Watch the footage and stand up against this lawless mob there and everywhere.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote that “this is exactly what ‘globalize the intifada’ looks like. Mobs of hate-filled people chasing down and attacking innocent Israeli soccer fans, who they have dehumanized as ‘Zionists,’ hunting down and brutalizing ordinary people who came to Amsterdam simply to enjoy a soccer match.”

“We demand Dutch authorities do everything necessary to ensure the safety of the Israeli fans, work to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators and apologize for this obscene, unprovoked violence,” Greenblatt wrote.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wrote that the attack “seems like a planned and organized pogrom in Amsterdam.”

The Israeli embassy in Washington stated that “hundreds of fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team were ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam tonight as they left the stadium following a game against Ajax Amsterdam.”

The embassy shared video footage that appeared to show someone being attacked as he lay motionless on the street and a driver intentionally driving a car into a pedestrian.

“The mob, who targeted these innocent Israelis, has proudly shared their violent acts on social media,” the embassy stated. “Responses to this video so far have ranged from: they started it (by chanting), they deserve it (since they’re Israelis), and they don’t belong there.”

“Let’s get one thing clear: There is no justification for a lynching mob,” the embassy added. “Israeli soccer fans should be allowed to support their team without fear of physical danger. The days of chasing Jews down European city streets should remain in the dark annals of history.”

Agudath Israel of America stated that it is “horrified by the scenes coming out of Amsterdam tonight” which it called “a modern day pogrom,” in which “Jews are attacked by mobs of antisemites in the streets of Europe once again.”

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote that “radical Islamists are tearing Europe apart, targeting Israeli Jews—even at a soccer match in Amsterdam.”

“Europeans: If you think this stops with the Jewish community, think again,” he wrote. “You’re at risk of losing your countries, democracies and way of life.”

“Antisemitic mobs attacking Israeli soccer fans tonight in Amsterdam. Pathetic response from the authorities as Israel is sending in two rescue planes,” wrote David Friedman, the former US ambassador to Israel. “All this in 2024—three days before the anniversary of Kristallnacht!”

Posted on November 8, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on November 7, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90/jns.org