The EAJC strongly condemns the antisemitic pogrom in Amsterdam

Following the UEFA Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local club Ajax in Amsterdam, a group of unidentified individuals launched an attack on Israeli supporters. Perpetrators pursued the Israelis across the city, committing physical assaults, utilizing vehicles in ramming incidents, and breaching the hotels where the fans were lodged. More than 25 individuals sustained injuries of varying severity.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) conveys its wishes for a swift recovery to the injured and unequivocally condemns the actions of the instigators and perpetrators of the riots and assaults against the Israeli football supporters. The leadership of the EAJC calls upon the law enforcement authorities of the Netherlands to conduct a thorough investigation into the events. It is imperative to identify the perpetrators' true motives, expose the organizers, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. We acknowledge and thank the authorities of the Kingdom for their public expression of solidarity with Israel and its citizens; nevertheless, we urge them to take all necessary measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

There is no doubt that the events in Amsterdam represent a pre-planned act of violence driven solely by anti-Semitic motives.

President of the EAJC, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, stated:

“The horrifying attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggered a wave of flagrant anti-Semitism worldwide. The scale of this persistent affliction—the hatred of Jews, which continually assumes new forms—has once again shocked us. The events in Amsterdam are a direct consequence of a deliberate strategy to fuel anti-Semitism within the public information space, particularly on social media and in the press. We have repeatedly emphasized that the dissemination of anti-Semitic ideas inevitably leads to severe repercussions, not only for the Jewish community but for the entire free world. It is a well-established fact that anti-Semitism initiates the profound decomposition of any society, regardless of how enlightened it claims to be. We call upon the authorities of the Netherlands to carry out an exhaustive investigation of this incident and to implement all possible preemptive measures.”

Director General of the EAJC, Dr. Haim Ben Yakov, pointed out numerous false reports on social networks aimed at misrepresenting the incident as mere "clashes between football supporters":

“We are all aware of the rising tide of anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe. The question was never ‘Would such an incident ever occur?’, but rather ‘When and where would it happen?’. Beyond any doubt, what we witnessed in Amsterdam was a brutal manifestation of anti-Semitism, not common football hooliganism. Israelis were hunted on the streets of Amsterdam, far beyond the sports facilities,” stated the Director General of the EAJC.

He also noted the danger of drawing historical parallels to the events in Amsterdam: “The comparisons currently being voiced are frequently inaccurate. In comparing this incident to the events of Kristallnacht or the Kishinev pogrom, one must exercise utmost caution. We are separated from those historical events by one fundamental reality: today, we possess a strong and sovereign Jewish state open to every Jew. Here, each of us can feel protected and holds the right to take responsibility for the destiny of our own nation, fully recognizing the objective challenges of living in an independent state surrounded by adversaries.”