The mayor of Amsterdam speaks of a “chilling hunt for Jews” after a new wave of riots

MADRID 12 Nov. () –

The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, warned this Tuesday of a “chilling hunt for Jews” in the Dutch capital after a new night of riots in the city, which witnessed clashes last week between pro-Palestinian protesters and fans of the Amsterdam team. Maccabi Tel Aviv football.

Halsema, who has described the attacks against Israeli citizens after the game as a “poisoned cocktail of anti-Semitism and ‘hooligan’ behavior”, has however qualified that “unjust acts” have been carried out against Jews, but also against “people of minorities who empathize with the Palestinians.

His words come after dozens of people staged new riots during Monday night in the west of the city. According to Dutch media reports, the group threw blunt objects and pyrotechnic devices at vehicles and railway facilities.

“Anyone who calls for or carries out a witch hunt against the Jews must know that this not only affects the Jews themselves but also all the citizens of Amsterdam,” he said during an emergency meeting, according to information from the network. and US television.

“Anti-Semitism is very established at all levels of society, even among young people or people with a migrant background, the extreme left or the extreme right. I will not allow an entire group to be classified as anti-Semitic, nor will the protesters pro-Palestinians. They are also part of Amsterdam,” he clarified.

Regarding the measures adopted after last week’s controversial match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, he stressed that the authorities approached the issue as a high-risk match even though this was not previously reflected in internal reports.

“We treated it as a high-risk match and established dangerous areas in terms of security. We increased police deployment,” he clarified before emphasizing that before violent acts against Israeli citizens occurred, the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans “were chanting and proclaiming against the Arabs and removed a Palestinian flag from a building. In addition, he said, some robbed a taxi driver.

In this sense, he stressed that he was already in contact with the National Coordinator for Security and Antiterrorism before the match took place. “In sporting terms, this club is not considered high risk, although there was already a minor incident in Athens,” he stated.