Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schof said he intends to take tough action against incidents of anti-Semitic violence, such as what happened to Israeli fans of Maccabi football club in Amsterdam.
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“The images we have seen in recent days and the cases we have heard about are shocking… This is real anti-Semitism… We cannot respond to intolerance with tolerance, we must take strong action against it,” Schof said on press conference in The Hague on Monday.
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The head of the Dutch government emphasized that in Amsterdam last week there was a real hunt for Jews, behind which were groups of young people “with a migration background.”
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“I am ashamed that this could happen in the Netherlands… There is absolutely nothing that could justify the deliberate search and persecution of Jews,” he said.
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The prime minister also said that the Netherlands has had a problem with the integration of migrants “for the last 50 years.”
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Earlier, the Dutch Secretary of State for Integration, Jurgen Nobel, commenting on the attacks on Israeli fans in Amsterdam, said that in the Netherlands there is a big problem with the integration of Muslim youth. According to him, they do not share local norms and values.
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A series of attacks on fans of the Israeli football club Maccabi occurred in Amsterdam on Thursday night after a Europa League match against local Ajax. At least ten Israelis were injured in the attacks, according to media reports. In addition, there were riots and clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and police in different parts of Amsterdam, including at the Amsterdam Arena stadium, where the match was taking place, despite the city mayor’s ban on holding a demonstration there.
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As a result of the unrest, five victims were hospitalized and 62 people were detained. The victims were later discharged from hospitals.
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Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schof called attacks on Israeli fans unacceptable, noting the anti-Semitic nature of the attacks. The leader of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), part of the ruling coalition in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders called for the arrest and deportation of those responsible.
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After the incident, the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, announced a ban on demonstrations over the weekend and the introduction of additional measures in the city. Despite the ban, pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to Dam Square last Sunday.
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Police detained more than 50 participants in the unauthorized rally. After this, city authorities extended the ban on demonstrations until November 14.
