Last night's antisemitic pogrom in Amsterdam came a little over a month after Nieuw Israëlisch Weekblad reported that the Dutch police were allowing officers to refuse to protect Jewish institutions in Holland.
Police spokeswoman Mireille Beentjes told De Telegraaf that she was aware of officers voicing "moral objections" to being deployed to protect Jewish institutions and that the police force had no "strict policies" forcing officers to protect such sites.
“We take moral objections into account when creating schedules. But if there’s an urgent task, you will be deployed, whether you want to or not," she said. “You are expected to behave professionally. Others shouldn’t notice anything.”
Among the sites some officers refused to be stationed near is the Dutch National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam.
According to the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel, antisemitic incidents in Holland rose about 800% in the aftermath of the Hamas massacre of October 7th, 2023.
Last night, hundreds of fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team reported that they were attacked by Arabs in Amsterdam, as they left the stadium following Maccabi’s game against AFC Ajax.
The fans testified that an ambush had been prepared for them in advance at various points outside the stadium.
Disturbing footage from the city, which was posted to social media, fans are seen being violently attacked, beaten and even run over. One of the fans was forced to say "Free Palestine" before he was let go. Some of the fans barricaded themselves in shops and other places in the city. The local police escorted some of the Israelis back to their hotels.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that ten fans were injured and that three people are unaccounted for, and efforts to get in touch with them are ongoing.
An Israeli who witnessed the attacks told Kan 11 News, "They waited in groups at every corner, and as soon as they recognized Jews - they started chasing them. Others waited near hotels and near the casino in larger groups, and there they also attacked fans. Then others drove by with cars and did not stop honking near hotels in which Israelis are staying."
"The police were not present at the conclusion of the games, and Muslims were waiting near train stations for Israeli fans and followed them," said another Israeli. "The police only started to intervene after about half an hour to 45 minutes into the attacks, after the attackers threw firecrackers at people and into buildings."