The pogrom that wasn’t

On November 6 and 7, fans of the Israeli shot squad Maccabi Tel Aviv rampaged done Amsterdam up of a lucifer betwixt their squad and the Dutch shot nine Ajax. They assaulted section residents, attacked backstage property, destroyed symbols of Palestinian solidarity, and chanted racist, genocidal slogans that glorified the slaughter of children successful Gaza and the decease of each Arabs.

While the Israeli fans were provided with a constabulary escort, pro-Palestine demonstrations were either cancelled oregon relocated. On the nighttime of November 7, pursuing the match, section residents responded to these events by attacking Maccabi fans. Five radical were concisely hospitalised but aboriginal discharged and 62 radical were arrested, 10 of whom were Israeli.

A letter, released by the Amsterdam City Council and recounting the events, noted that “from 01:30 onward [on Thursday night], reports of thoroughfare unit rapidly declined”. The communicative could person ended there. It didn’t.

Overnight, the Israeli propaganda instrumentality went into overdrive, and by Friday morning, the satellite awoke to quality that “anti-Semitic squads” had gone connected a “Jew hunt” successful Amsterdam.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog denounced the “anti-Semitic pogrom”, portion Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that subject planes would beryllium dispatched to evacuate Israeli citizens.

A question of disinformation unleashed from Israel was replicated unchecked by Western media and the accustomed cohort of Western leaders, each outdoing the different astatine expressing the astir outrage.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned the “anti-Semitic attacks connected Israeli citizens” and King Willem-Alexander lamented that “we failed the Jewish assemblage … during World War II, and past nighttime we failed again”. Amsterdam’s Mayor Femke Halsema condemned the “anti-Semitic” attacks connected “Jewish visitors”, drafting comparisons with historical pogroms.

In the pursuing days, the “pogrom” communicative fell apart, arsenic much details and witnesser accounts surfaced. As the particulate settled, 1 happening became clear: Palestinian solidarity is stronger than ever, and Zionism is crumbling.

‘Weaponisation of Jewish safety’

As large Western media outlets sought to represent the events of November 7 successful the presumption the Israeli authorities had outlined, galore failed to instrumentality to the facts. For example, portion the unit was presented arsenic “attacks connected Jews”, nary specified attacks were reported against the section Jewish community.

On that day, a Kristallnacht commemoration, marking the pogroms against Jews successful Germany successful 1938, was held successful peace. Throughout the day, nary onslaught connected a Jewish instauration was reported.

What is more, the unit unleashed by the Maccabi fans connected section residents was under-reported oregon not mentioned astatine each by Western mainstream media. The thought that possibly what happened was successful absorption to the rampage of the Maccabi fans, galore of whom are Israeli Army reservists, who were glorifying genocide and chanting decease to each Arabs, was ne'er entertained.

Members of the section Jewish assemblage who had captious opinions of what happened were not platformed.

Erev Rav, a Dutch-based anti-Zionist Jewish collective, for example, called the “weaponisation of Jewish information incredibly alarming” connected societal media. In an interview, the writer Peter Cohen, a erstwhile sociology prof astatine the University of Amsterdam, commented that “the Christian West has ever constructed forms of anti-Semitism, mild and lethal, doing devastating harm to Jews successful Europe”. But helium was emphatic that “people who criticise Israel bash conscionable that”, adding “this does not marque them anti-Semites!”.

The rotation that Western mainstream media gave to the communicative – that “anti-Semitic” Arabs and Muslims attacked Jews – fits into the mendacious but ascendant communicative that anti-Semitism successful Europe is present exclusively harboured by Arab and Muslim immigrants. This not lone fuels and normalises anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia, but besides downplays and obscures the precise existent and wide European anti-Semitism.

Palestinian solidarity

Following the events of November 7, Amsterdam was placed nether an exigency ordinance, which outlawed protests, prohibited look coverings and permitted “preventative searches” by the police. Local residents, peculiarly those who person regularly been demonstrating against Israel’s genocidal warfare successful Gaza, perceived this arsenic an undue and disproportionate infringement connected their close to state of assembly and state of expression.

In defiance of a protestation ban, connected November 10, hundreds of radical gathered successful Dam Square, including myself, successful solidarity with the radical of Palestine. Those who turned retired to protestation represented a wide spectrum of Amsterdam’s colonisation – we were young, old, Dutch, international, Arab, Muslim, Black, brown, white, and anti-Zionist Israelis, agreed successful our condemnation of Dutch complicity successful Israel’s genocide.

The constabulary responded by confiscating Palestinian flags, banners and philharmonic instruments, arresting radical astatine random, and charging with batons. One pistillate suffered a encephalon wounded arsenic a effect of constabulary violence, according to her lawyer.

Some 340 people, including myself, were detained connected buses and driven done the city, accompanied by respective constabulary vans and motorcycles. One mightiness person assumed from the spectacle that the buses were transporting hardened criminals. In fact, they were carrying unarmed bid activists detained for protesting genocide.

We were driven to an concern property connected the outskirts of Amsterdam and released, isolated from 1 Arab antheral who was arbitrarily singled out, arrested and taken away. Afterwards, each that remained of the constabulary cognition was a drone overhead that monitored our movements.

As we made our mode backmost to the metropolis centre, cars began circling astir america and the drivers beckoned for america to get in. They introduced themselves arsenic the Moroccan drivers whose workfellow had been attacked by Maccabi fans connected November 6. In a heartwarming enactment of solidarity aft hours of constabulary repression, they drove america backmost to Amsterdam, making definite that we got location safely.

Protesters again defied the objection prohibition connected November 13, with 281 radical being detained and much acts of constabulary brutality.

Game implicit for Zionism

At archetypal glance, the communicative that came to predominate governmental statements and media sum of the unit successful Amsterdam and the actions of the Dutch authorities whitethorn look arsenic different PR occurrence for Israel. But it is not.

It is yet different denotation that the demise of Zionism is close. We are witnessing a genocidal authorities successful the throes of madness, making a last-ditch effort to realise a biblical phantasy of creating a greater Israel by erasing the Palestinian people.

As historiographer Ilan Pappe predicted successful a caller article, “once Israel realises the magnitude of the crisis, it volition unleash ferocious and uninhibited unit to effort to incorporate it”. The hopeless effort to distort the world of events successful Amsterdam is indicative of this panic, and the willingness of Western leaders and mainstream media to spell on with this insanity is unforgivable.

Following a week of unrest, the pro-Palestinian question scored a tiny victory: Amsterdam’s City Council passed a question recognising a “real and imminent genocide” successful Gaza and calling connected the authorities to act. Meanwhile, Mayor Femke backtracked connected her “pogrom” statement, saying it was weaponised by Israeli and Dutch politicians. A cabinet minister and 2 parliamentarians resigned successful effect to racist comments made wrong the government, sparking a governmental situation and exposing cracks successful the far-right government.

Though painstakingly slow, the downfall of Zionism has begun, and calls for a liberated Palestine are louder than ever.

The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.