‘Who benefits from this?’ Soul-searching after the Amsterdam violence
JVL Introduction
Ashifa Kassam and Senay Boztas, writing in the Guardian, take stock with a clear account of provocative behaviour by the Israeli Maccabi hooligans before and during their match against Ajax.
There were some clear instances of antisemitism in response but nothing to suggest that the main reaction was anything other than a heartfelt response to the bitter racism and violence of the Maccabi supporters.
The authors are too uncritical in accepting the role of antisemitism, shown clearly in their elision of anti-Israel sentiment with antisemitism when they write that “Witness accounts and screenshots of text messages suggest some had specifically targeted Jews” and follow this up immediately by giving as evidence that they asked people” if they were Israeli”!
Their own evidence, including quotations from antizionist and Liberal Jews, makes clear this was not “a pogrom” against the Jewish community of the Netherlands – that was the language of Geert Wilders of the far right to drive a wedge between Jews and Muslims, something that Netanyahu also rushed to do.
Israel’s supporters treat opposition to the genocide in Gaza as an indicator of antisemitism, claiming it is a libel against “the only Jewish state”. They tell the world that all “real Jews” support what Israel is doing, making every Jew everywhere a potential accomplice of this genocide.
They are actively feeding the very antisemitism they say they deplore.
Emily Hilton writing in +972 Magazine on Weaponizing Jewish fear gets it absolutely right:
“The longer the onslaught on Gaza continues, the greater the likelihood that hostility toward Israelis abroad will continue to result in violence, and that the spillover of anti-Israel hostility into antisemitism will become harder and harder to contain. Indeed, we saw this in Amsterdam with people shouting “kanker jood” (cancer Jew) during attacks on Maccabi fans”
“Who wins when they do this?” asked Mustafa Hamurcu, chair of a movement aiming to integrate Muslims in Dutch society. “I think the winner is Wilders. And the losers and the victims are Amsterdam society – everyone, the Jews, the Muslims, Christians, everyone.”
RK
PS: We also link to ABC’s Media Watch and Zeteo‘s analyses of the mainstream media reporting.
PPS: 20 Nov – after a query, para 5 was rewritten for clarity.
This article was originally published by the Guardian on Fri 15 Nov 2024. Read the original here.
‘Who benefits from this?’ Soul-searching after the Amsterdam violence
Jewish and Muslim communities speak of heightened fears as questions linger about events around football match
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Apparently some Maccabi fans were given black tshirts before the drama unfolded in an attempt to disguise themselves, with the aim of trying to make it appear like it was others who initiated things.
In my observation, the buzzword of ‘antisemitism’ is very much over-played – out of ignorance or vested self-interest and usually with lots of hypocrisy.
It also seems obvious that the terrorist state of Israel is doing a genocide of the indigenous people whose land it is taking. This genocide is supported by manipulative establishment politicians but it is deplored by the majority.