Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV), has demanded that authorities take away the Dutch citizenship of those who were involved in the antisemitic attacks on Jewish football fans in Amsterdam.
Speaking in the Dutch parliament on Wednesday, November 13th, Wilders, whose party is the largest governing party in the centre-right coalition, said: “For the first time since the Second World War there was a hunt on Jews. I am sick of being criticised when I tell the truth.”
He said that on the night Amsterdam commemorated Kristallnacht, the 1938 anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany, “We saw Muslims hunting Jews on the streets of Amsterdam,” and “Moroccans who want to destroy Jews.”
He added it was “a miracle that there were no deaths during this roundup,” and that last week, Amsterdam “looked more like Islamic State territory” than a safe haven for Jews. He said that people convicted of involvement in the violence should have their Dutch passports forfeited—if they have dual citizenship—and be deported from the Netherlands.
Wilders’ sentiment was shared by the prime minister, Dick Schoof, who, after meeting leaders of the Jewish community, said on Tuesday that there is a group of people with a “migration background” that has turned its back on society, and “does not share its Western values.” The PM indicated that the government would present concrete steps to tackle antisemitism.
As we previously reported, Israeli football fans were attacked last Thursday in Amsterdam by a pro-Palestine mob following a match between Dutch team Ajax and the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
At least five people were hospitalised, and twenty to thirty more sustained minor injuries. Witnesses described the attackers as “Arabs” and “Muslims,” and victims talked of terrifying ordeals, including being chased, forced to hide in shops and hotels, and even narrowly escaping knife attacks. Police said the attackers were mobilised by calls on social media to target Jewish people.
A total of eight people are in custody in the investigation into last week’s violence. They are between the ages of 16 and 37, and from Amsterdam and nearby cities.
The antisemitic attacks were followed on Monday night by yet another round of antisemitic violence, with pro-Palestine protesters—mostly young men—setting off firecrackers, setting fire to a tram and a police vehicle, and shouting “Cancer Jews.” A senior police officer warned of calls for more rioting in Amsterdam.
Despite the horrific scenes, the Dutch left-liberal opposition has downplayed the seriousness of the situation, and instead is accusing Wilders and his allies of “pouring oil on the fire.” Rob Jetten of the centrist D66 party said Wilders’ rhetoric “does not contribute to bringing our country together.” Former European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans, who heads the leftist GroenLinks–PvdA alliance, said Wilders is “dividing this country.”
