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Last November, a pogrom took place in Amsterdam: Israeli football fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv were chased through the city by perpetrators of Arab origin, including taxi drivers. Many of the fans were beaten and mistreated.
But soon after the horrific events, attempts were made to turn the narrative on its head: it was claimed that it was not a hunt for Jews, but rather a hunt for Arabs. After all, the kicks that the Israelis fell victim to were supposedly provoked. This "provocation theory" was widely spread by many media outlets. However, it has long since been relegated to the realm of fiction.
By last week a second trial against multiple perpetrators made it unequivocally clear: the attacks on Israelis were not spontaneous but deliberately planned and coordinated. They were also not a reaction to a provocation but were motivated by antisemitism.
Nevertheless, Dutch courts are struggling to properly address the incidents. Even in the first trial against seven suspects in December, the sentences were surprisingly lenient. The same applies to the second trial: taxi driver Kamal I., who had been sentenced to twelve months in prison, got off with just one month. Another rioter from Gaza will first undergo psychological evaluation. When delivering the verdict, the judge stated that he took into account "the strong dissatisfaction of a part of the Dutch population regarding the situation in Gaza."
Umutcan A., a 24-year-old man from The Hague, was sentenced to a month behind bars instead of the five months requested. He was seen kicking a man in the face and stealing a scarf from another victim. He described his actions as a “Jew hunt” in text messages, according to the indictment.
More than 100 suspects are still being sought. Among them are a dozen Maccabi fans—as if the judiciary wanted to imply that both sides are somewhat to blame.
Meanwhile, fear is spreading among Amsterdam’s Jews. When ordering a taxi, many now wonder whether the driver might have been involved in the pogrom. This is the sad reality in the place we once lovingly called "Mokum" – or ‘safe haven’ – in Yiddish.