The trial of the first five defendants accused of acts of violence and abuse against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans after the match with Ajax in early November begins on Wednesday in Amsterdam. The trial of two additional defendants will begin Thursday.
The Dutch prosecutor’s office appears to show empathy for the defendants, and will not seek prison sentences for them, nor is it charging them with acts of terrorism.
“All the acts committed were the result of anger, frustration, and sadness over the situation in Israel and Gaza,” the chief prosecutor stated.
The seven who are on trial this week, live in the Netherlands, three of them in Amsterdam. The youngest suspect, 19, was born in the Netherlands, and at least two others came to Holland from the Palestinian Authority.
The seven are suspected of involvement in particularly serious violence. According to the indictments, some of them resorted to violence themselves, others contributed to the violence by encouraging it in WhatsApp groups. One of the men is charged with attempted murder.
And yet, none of them will see the inside of a prison should they be convicted.
?BREAKING: Local natives and police jump to teen boys defence after being attacked by group of armed Muslims in Amsterdam.
How much more can we take? pic.twitter.com/Zv5VcloWph
— Inevitable West (@Inevitablewest) November 11, 2024
The chief prosecutor reasoned that the accused are not terrorists, saying, “With terrorism, the goal is to instill fear in a particular group. I understand very well that the Jewish community in Amsterdam felt fear because of the violence. This is a result of the violence, but not the goal.”
Let those Maccabi fans know they were not kicked on the pavements of Amsterdam as an act of terrorism. It was just good, clean spontaneous violence.
The Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS, the Dutch public broadcasting system), funded by the Dutch government, on Monday complained of foreign Jewish interference after the violence in Amsterdam.
“In recent weeks, several influential Jewish-American organizations sent a representative to Amsterdam. Another organization paid for the overnight shelter of the victims on November 7. The first American lawyers have now also come forward,” the state-funded outlet wrote on Monday.
This American interference caused some discomfort among Dutch administrators, according to the report, especially the response of the director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Jonathan Greenblatt, who said after a visit to the Netherlands that Mayor Halsema had failed in protecting Jewish visitors and residents.
“Rabbi Abraham Cooper also visited the Netherlands,” the report continued. “He is from the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, an institute that combats antisemitism and has offices all over the world. After the violence, the institute warned Jews all over the world against visiting Amsterdam. In an interview with NOS’s Nieuwsuur, Cooper said that the travel advice would only be lifted if the perpetrators of the street violence are seriously punished.”
“He also spoke a week and a half ago in Amsterdam at a demonstration against antisemitism. He said: ‘We challenge the leaders of this famous city, Amsterdam, to fulfill their promise that they will track down, prosecute and, if necessary, deport the organizers of the Kristallnacht attack on Israeli football fans,’” the government-funded news outlet added.
Those meddling Jewish foreigners.
More footage of the pogrom in Amsterdam of hundreds of Arab terror supporters assaulting Israeli football fans visiting the city. Many said groups were gathered in specific areas indicating premeditation following the game. At least 5 are injured. Many sought refuse in shops or… pic.twitter.com/SvnXJ87c6w
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) November 8, 2024
