By Matthijs de Blois, Senior Fellow thinc.
On the very night that in the Snoga, the impressive Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam the Kristallnacht in November 1938 was commemorated, on 7 November 2024, the streets an squares of the Dutch capital were filled with people that were engaged in – according to their own jargon – ‘Jew hunting’. Israeli supporters of the team of Maccabi Tel Aviv – in Amsterdam for a football match with Ajax from Amsterdam- , fell victim to verbal and physical violence. Youth on scooters went in ‘hit-and-run’ actions after the Israelis. They were not safe in their hotels and were afraid to use taxis, as many taxi drivers joined the antisemitic activists. All over the world Amsterdam was on the frontpage of leading newspapers and in TV-shows. The war of terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah against Israel spilled over to the city that frequently has been and still is called ‘Mokum’, derived from the Hebrew word ‘Maqom’ (=place), a reference to its rich Jewish history of more than 400 years. The events also evoked memories of very dark pages in that history, when during the German-nazi occupation 110.000 Jews, about 80% of the total Jewish population of The Netherlands, were deported and murdered by the Nazis. Many of the victims came from Amsterdam. It is understandable that Jews living in Amsterdam as well as elsewhere in the country do not feel safe anymore.
In their initial verbal reactions of the authorities both in Amsterdam and on the national level used strong language and rightly so. The mayor of Amsterdam, Ms. Femke Halsema, used the term pogrom (later she regretted to have used this term). Prime Minister Schoof declared he was “horrified by the anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli citizens.” More politicians came up with condemnations. The King said that Jewish people must feel safe in The Netherlands and he pointed also at Dutch history that shows how intimidation goes from bad to worse. He added that the country could not ignore “antisemitic behaviour”.
When it comes to the enforcement the approach of the authorities may be questioned. The were many complaints of victims that security forces were not present when needed. A temporary ban on demonstrations imposed by the mayor of Amsterdam was only half-heartedly enforced. Only a few days after the events the debate among left-wing politicians and influential media took a u-turn, more or less similar to what happened after the pogrom of 7 October 2023 in Israel. The focus shifted to Israeli supporters who sang some nasty songs and burned a Palestinian flag, implying that the violence was provoked. Victims were blamed for the acts of the perpetrators.
The Government announced new measures to fight anti-Semitism partly in response to the recent events in Amsterdam, but also because of the enormous rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents since last year, that means since 7 October 2023. The intention is to introduce legislation to make the glorification of terrorism a criminal act with a high penalty. The powers of the police gather information on disturbances of the public order will be extended. The Government also wants to investigate possibilities to sharpen the distinction between peaceful demonstrations and actions that disturb the public order. A Taskforce to Combat Anti-Semitism will be established to protect the safety of Jews, including Jewish students in universities and in case of (anti-Israel) sit-ins at railway stations. The intention is to provide financial support to Jewish institutions and events to ensure safety. The combat against anti-Semitism in football should be taken seriously by all clubs. Finally, the Government underlines the importance to preserve the remembrance of the Shoa (Holocaust) and to spread the knowledge about Jewish life.
In addition to this it is important to note that the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament has adopted a motion introduced by Chris Stoffer, MP for the Reformed Party, that refers to a report of the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora and the Struggle against Anti-Semitism that identifies pro-Palestinian organizations affiliated to Hamas as being partly responsible for the anti-Semitic pogrom at Amsterdam. The motion calls upon the Government to instruct the security services to scrutinize these organizations and to register them in the lists of terrorist organizations. The motion also requests the Government to establish together with universities a taskforce to combat anti-Semitism in higher education, inter alia by refusing anti-Semitic speakers and events.
Without doubt the strengthening of measures to combat anti-Semitism is necessary, first of all from a moral perspective. Having regard to the very poor record of the Dutch population during the Second World War in respect of the protection of their Jewish co-citizens, everything should be done to prevent a repetition.
The strengthening is also important because of the international obligations of The Netherlands. Article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination obliges the States Parties to “condemn all propaganda and all organizations which are based on ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group of persons of one color or ethnic origin, or which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form (…)”. They also are bound to “declare an offence punishable by law all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred, incitement to racial discrimination, as well as all acts of violence or incitement to such acts against any race or group of persons of another color or ethnic origin, and also the provision of any assistance to racist activities, including the financing thereof”. Moreover the States Parties “shall declare illegal and prohibit organizations, and also organized and all other propaganda activities, which promote and incite racial discrimination, and shall recognize participation in such organizations or activities as an offence punishable by law (…)” and “not permit public authorities or public institutions, national or local, to promote or incite racial discrimination.” While these provisions have been implemented in legislation the recent events show that the existing national provisions are not adequate. The strengthening of the legal instruments to combat anti-Semitism should therefore be welcomed.
