Some of the media have made a mea culpa over their coverage of the clashes between Maccabi Tel Aviv hooligans and Dutch citizens in Amsterdam, while others lack cruelly the will to do so.
However, Chomsky had in mind more elaborate, subtle narratives, where the media and government made genuine efforts to craft stories that more closely resembled reality. He could never have anticipated a media so unprepared for the new realities of a world where everyone has access to mobile phones, digital tools, and access to live coverage that can undermine their narratives. The media coverage of the clashes between hooligans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv and local citizens in Amsterdam caused a monumental, humiliating embarrassment, and colossal damage to their already fragile reputation.
Debates, Apologies from Some, Silence from Others
I am glad to see various debates and mea culpa regarding the media coverage of the clashes between Maccabi hooligans and Dutch citizens in Amsterdam between 5 and 7 November 2024, starting with the city’s mayor, Femke Halsema. However, Dutch citizens are still waiting for apologies from the prime minister and other authorities.
Correct reporting initially came from Sky News reporter Alice Porter, but she was later compelled to re-report, this time denying the reality of the facts she had previously accurately reported, portraying the hooligans as victims. From what I understand, the original false narrative was set by Reuters, as I will explain below.
Surprisingly, Sky News Australia, despite the debates, corrections, and apologies offered by many of their mainstream colleagues, has persisted with their false version of events, even after glorifying chants of genocide by Maccabi supporters: “There is no school in Gaza because we killed the children” among others horrible chants.
Here are a few examples of the subsequent debates on the media coverage and some mea culpa:
France24 English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8E9gPM-pkY
ABC Australia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ0MJr6v0bI
Meteo/Mehdi Hasan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjoQkPXA_us
Owen Jones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clHlvgOPrWY and: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H_ozYgHpoM
Democracy Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttS8pKwvoII
Al Jazeera English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI_ac_8iDno
BreakThrough News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb6DE9jfqfM
Novara Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqAfry_Ha5w
Dutch Politicians With an Israeli Dossier in Hands
It was also surprising for everyone in the country that Dutch politicians received an Israeli dossier prepared by the Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism before the Dutch Secret Service could prepare its report. Immediately, these politicians reacted in their social media, interviews, and later debates in the Parliament in The Hague according to this dossier. This fact has raised concerns and discomfort within the Dutch security apparatus about Israeli attempts to influence the political debate in the Netherlands.
Later 13 Dutch social organisations, including Oxfam Novib, Save the Children and PAX, published an open letter to Prime Minister Schoof calling on him to publicly distance himself from the Israeli false dossier.
It is outstanding that the hooligans also attacked the Dutch police, and even so, politicians chose to follow the Israeli narrative, not respecting their police or their citizens.
Certainly, the newsroom and editors of the mainstream media were also in possession of this dossier. Israel’s PR was, therefore, very, very successful in controlling the narrative, at least on the first and second days. That is the reason for Sky News’s edition change and the subsequent fake coverage of BBC, CNN World, CBS, DW, ARD, BILD, Tagesschau, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, France 24, and so on. They – media and politicians – tried to build a victimisation narrative based on genocide glorifiers, as pointed out by a Dutch Member of the Parliament.
Subversion on purpose to maintain a manufactured narrative
The first to distort the real footage by Dutch photographer Annet de Graaf, shared on her X account, was Reuters. De Graaf confirmed that she reached out to Reuters, informing them they were misrepresenting her footage—reversing the story she had captured, which showed Maccabi hooligans attacking Dutch citizens. Despite this, the news agency refused to correct its narrative. She expressed her shock at their response and later posted on X: “Journalism is about finding truth. It’s time to show some respect to reality. That’s your job.”
I am equally shocked, as Reuters serves as the daily news source for nearly one billion people worldwide. While outlets such as The New York Times, DW, and France 24 acknowledged their mistakes, Reuters later merely claimed it was difficult to identify who appeared in the footage. This is despite the fact that the original author, Annet de Graaf, present at the scene, had provided an accurate description to Reuters. They took the footage, complete with that description, and knowingly propagated a false narrative. Certainly, their gains are superior to the losses of their credibility. Businesses usually do this calculation.
Fortunately, we have alternative sources for checks and balances, particularly through social media and individuals like Annet de Graaf and YouTuber Bender. Another source of the authentic footage came from Bender, a 16-year-old Dutch YouTuber who demonstrated remarkable courage, even while being threatened by the hooligans:
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, last night AJAX crushed Maccabi Tel Aviv with a 5-0 victory. However, the match didn’t bring Amsterdam the joy it had hoped for, as the aftermath led to massive chaos. A large group of Maccabi hooligans stormed through the city, resulting in an uncontrollable situation.”
Initially, it seemed that Sky News reporter Alice Porter might emerge as the hero in this disgraceful media coverage, but she was soon compelled to record a distorted version of the events. Ultimately, the true heroes of this ‘manufactured pogrom’ were Annet de Graaf and Bender, who were in the right place at the right time, shedding light on the war of conflicting narratives. Congratulations to both, and best wishes for continued success!
Ricardo Martins ‒PhD in Sociology, specializing in policies, European and world politics and geopolitics
