The only case in history when football hooligans wreaked havoc, yet local citizens were blamed. Mainstream media and politicians have manufactured a narrative depicting it as a “Pogrom” or “Kristallnacht,” but this time carried out by Israeli hooligans.
Israeli Football Hooligans Bring Chaos to Amsterdam
The city of Amsterdam witnessed turmoil marked by the astonishing deployment of a state intelligence agency, the Mossad, to function as security for a notoriously violent fanbase. Mossad operatives, purportedly tasked with ensuring “safety,” accompanied the initial batch of Tel Aviv’s aggressive supporters. As reports have shown, Dutch authorities were not aware of the potential violence that could erupt in the city, and it seems that they were not aware that Mossad was operating on their soil.
Fans of Israel’s ‘Maccabi Tel Aviv’ not only demolished Palestinian symbols and yelled aggressive slogans against Arabs, but also reportedly showed disrespect during a moment of silence for the Valencia flood victims, choosing to disrupt it intentionally, paving the way for the turmoil that would soon engulf the city.
Disrespecting Sovereignty: A Night of Indignity in Amsterdam
The mistake of the Israeli soccer supporters, or hooligans, was their misguided belief that Amsterdam was their occupied territory or settlement. It appears that the media, von der Leyen, the Dutch Prime Minister, and the King capitulated to this assumption, showing blatant disrespect for local citizens. These authorities displayed a disturbing lack of courage to uphold their nation’s sovereignty.
On the night of 6 November 2024, the Israeli hooligans committed several acts of disrespect and indecency in Amsterdam:
The Maccabi hooligans shouted, “Let the IDF win, and f** the Arabs,” as they were escorted by police to the stadium. At the start of the match, these same supporters refused to stand for a one-minute silence to honour the Spanish flood victims. Instead, they chanted, “There are no schools in Gaza because we killed all the kids,” and “We will rape your girls, we will drink your blood,” to provide just a few obscene examples.
They pulled down and set fire to a Palestinian flag. The images were shocking; they could not tolerate anything associated with Palestine, and their instinct for destruction and violence surfaced immediately, accompanied by shouts of “Death to all Arabs.” Yet, when confronted, they portrayed themselves as the victims!
It defies belief that anyone could buy into this media-fabricated narrative. Just the chant “There are no schools in Gaza because we killed all the kids” should have been enough for the Dutch police to arrest them on charges of inciting genocide. Instead, even the Dutch King appeared supportive of these hooligans, after reactions from part of the Muslim community in Amsterdam.
Among these hooligans are several Israeli soldiers held to have committed war crimes, granted the freedom to travel throughout the EU, while their football teams compete across Europe. In stark contrast, Russian sports teams have faced bans from participating in Europe and the Olympics for far less. Clearly, something is amiss with UEFA, the Olympic Committee and the EU authorities.
The Israeli government and its media, complicit in these genocidal actions, seized the opportunity to craft a staged “rescue operation” and victimization narrative to divert attention from their own transgressions.
A Cowardly Position: The Netherlands and EU Authorities Fail Their Citizens
Dutch right-wing politicians and media swiftly seized on the situation, manipulating the narrative to suit their own agendas. The choice to side with a group of foreign, violent, and racist hooligans instead of their own citizens is incomprehensible and suggests a deep flaw in Dutch politics.
Dutch citizens expressed their shame regarding their media and leaders. Here are a few of these reactions:
“As a Dutchman: the coverage of the Dutch media is sickening, and the reaction of the Dutch politicians is even worse.”
“Amsterdam is not their promised land. Amsterdam has the right to defend itself.”
“Imagine if Russians stormed Amsterdam, burning Ukrainian flags and chanting racist slogans…”
“I thought their licence to abuse other humans was limited to Palestine, but apparently they seem to be authorised to break the law everywhere else.”
“Nothing will change… The free world is just so horrible and intoxicated and filled with hypocrisy…”
In conclusion, politicians and the media played a disgusting role. Mainstream media has once again proven to be untrustworthy. The gaslighting in favour of the Israeli football hooligans is unacceptable in a democratic society, as this media has become a manufacturer of fake news.
Above all, what is most astonishing is how a country committing apartheid and war crimes on a massive scale—deliberately killing children, women, journalists, and health personnel, openly practising ethnic cleansing, confirmed by Israeli Brigadier General Itzik Cohen, and genocide, and systematically bombarding UN facilities—receives such condescending treatment from European and Dutch authorities and the media. These European actions inspire little hope for a fairer, more just, and better world.
Ricardo Martins ‒PhD in Sociology, specializing in policies, European and world politics and geopolitics, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
