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“Amsterdam is calm again, even though we are still reeling from what happened,” says Hilla Dayan, a Dutch-Israeli activist and political sociologist, reflecting upon the violent clashes that shook her city one month ago and made headlines worldwide.
The violent outburst was triggered by fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv, who had travelled to the capital of the Netherlands to support the Israeli team playing Amsterdam’s team Ajax on November 7.
Before the match, Amsterdam Maccabi hooligans had torn down Palestinian flags, attacked taxis, and chanted dehumanising racist chants, including phrases such as “dead to all Arabs.”As a response, the Maccabi thugs were targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters.
That same evening, Hilla attended the official Kristallnacht commemoration. The ceremony commemorated the night in 1938 when mass attacks took place across Nazi Germany, where Jewish communities were targeted and even murdered.
“In the background, you could hear the sirens from the protests,” she recalls. “Almost every speech focused on fighting anti-Semitism in the Netherlands. It felt like Israel and the events of October 7 had completely overshadowed the memory of the Holocaust of Dutch Jews. There was no room for reflection about what is happening in Gaza, not even a simple call for peace or the end of the war.”
The city council of Amsterdam the violence against Maccabi fans as “anti-Semitic behaviour.” Outgoing presidentJoe Biden took to X (formerly Twitter) and spoke of the violence in Amsterdam, drawing a parallel to “.”
However, Hilla condemns such comparisons. “Before we even knew what happened [five Maccabi fans were , and others suffered minor injuries due to the violence], people spoke of Maccabi fans being lynched on the street. Events were interpreted as October 7.”
But Amsterdam councilman Jazie Veldhuyzen had confirmed that it was the Israeli fans who began the violence.
“They began attacking houses of people in Amsterdam with Palestinian flags, so that’s actually where the violence started,” Veldhuyzen said.
“As a reaction, Amsterdammers mobilised themselves and countered the attacks that started by the Maccabi hooligans.”
In November 2023, the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, won the Dutch elections. A vocal supporter of Israel, Wilders has called for the of pro-Palestinian protesters and recently visited Israel and the occupied West Bank. He has demanded a hardline response to the violence against Maccabi fans.
For Hilla Wilders, the rhetoric is deeply concerning: “The spread of misinformation and the weaponisation of anti-Semitism to suppress opposition to the war in Gaza is an attack on the rule of law in the Netherlands,” she warns.
Cracking down on pro-Palestinian protests is a “slippery slope of censorship,” Hilla added while re-affirming, “Protest isn’t just a right — it’s essential for democracy.”
Weaponising anti-Semitism
The first five people went on during the week of December 11 in Amsterdam following the clashes. The young men, mostly from migrant backgrounds, face charges of public violence, attempted manslaughter, and group insult.
Lawyers have criticised the trial and its procedures, arguing that the cases have not been thoroughly investigated and rushed due to political pressure from politicians like Wilders.
"In the Dutch Jewish community, many have demanded a strong response to those who attacked Maccabi fans," says Hilla.
Labelling the fear within Jewish communities as “extreme,” Hilla noted, “Most are influenced by Israeli propaganda, which inflates the threats of anti-Semitism.”
In addition, the activist finds Israel’s right-wing government “exploits this fear, framing any criticism as anti-Semitic. Unfortunately, there are few progressive voices within the Jewish community to challenge this narrative."
Hilla believes the Dutch government also weaponises anti-Semitism to marginalise Muslim minorities in the Netherlands.
"Anti-Semitism is being used to paint an entire minority as violent," she explains. "While it does exist, it is never something that people bring from their migration background."
There is a shared history of Muslims and Jews, Hilla emphasised. "My grandfather was born in Morocco, where some groups of Muslims and Jews stood together to fight the French Vichy government's anti-Semitism during the Second World War. It's vital to teach children about the deep cultural and historical connections between Jews and Muslims.”
The activist’s grandfather and Moroccan Muslims fought against Franco's dictatorship. “Many of them gave their lives in this liberation struggle, and some are even buried here in the Netherlands,” she said.
Marginalisation ofMuslim minorities
Waleed, born in Morocco, moved with his family to France at age four. Later in life, he met his Dutch wife and relocated to the Netherlands. “The violence against Maccabi fans has nothing to do with Muslims being against Jews. Everyone is watching Gaza with a strange feeling — that’s the work of the Israeli Zionist government of Israel. But Muslims, in principle, have nothing against Jews,” he explains.
Talking about the recent events, Waleed stressed, “However, when hooligans tear down flags and shout 'death to Arabs,' a part of the youth will respond violently. Especially those with a migration background. They are marginalised, ignored by society, and that breeds anger and aggression.”
Like Hilla, Waleed emphasises the historical connections between Jews and Muslims in his personal history. “I was born in Oujda, a city near the Algerian border. My parents grew up in small villages with Jews. They were their brothers. During World War II, the Moroccan King responded to the French government's request to point out where the Jews were living 'If you take them, take me.'”
Waleed, 63, who prefers not to share his full name to remain anonymous, explains how racism has been a red line in his life. “What I’m experiencing now in the Netherlands is something I already went through in France,” he reflects.
Waleed grew up in a neighbourhood with HLMs (social housing). "When I was around 10 or 11, a neighbour opened his window, grabbed a hunting rifle, and started shouting and swearing. Fortunately, he didn’t shoot. We called the police, but they did nothing. They would often target young boys like me, using violence. Thankfully, I’ve never experienced that in the Netherlands. Until now, policing here is still okay,” Waleed said.
For over 32 years, Waleed has held a senior position in a chemical multinational company based in a rural Dutch town. Despite his success, he faces daily racism in his workplace. “It’s become worse in recent years. The only thing I can do is swallow the racist remarks. I can’t afford to leave my job. I no longer have lunch with my colleagues because of it and don’t participate in any social activities for the past 25 years.”
Two years ago, Waleed spent the past six months at home with a burn-out because of racism at work, he says. He is deeply concerned by the rise of .
“When Wilders was elected, it was just fear — fear of what might happen. Unfortunately, racism has always existed, whether it’s against Jewish people, sub-Saharan Africans in Morocco, or now Muslim minorities in the Netherlands. But it becomes dangerous when politicians fuel it. I fear mass violence, like what happened in England.”
End to genocide
Sobhi Khatib,a Palestinian activist in Amsterdam, has also felt less welcome since Wilders rose to power, especially as he has been outspoken about Palestine.
“When I first arrived in the Netherlands, it felt like you were judged by what you could bring. Now, it feels like you’re judged by your background. Realising that so many in the Netherlands voted for our current government makes me afraid.” the39-year-old said.
The Palestinian activist strongly condemns the Dutch government’s on Israel. “How can the Netherlands continue to claim to support international law and justice when its politicians meet with war criminals? On top of that, the government continues to export weapons, even after the International Court of Justice [ICJ] rules there is a plausible genocide taking place by Israel.”
Activist Hilla believes that a crucial effort to challenge the war in Gaza is for citizens to continue to claim their right to protest: “As a lecturer at an Amsterdam Univesity, I’m pleased to see students claim their basic right to protest. I stand with them. We need to stop this genocide, and we must act now.”
This month, as the world witnessed the fall of Assad’s regime, Hilla felt a strong sense of connection to Syrians celebrating the end of an era of a cruel oppressor.
“I hope the Israeli regime will fall in my lifetime. That’s how I see it. It’s a cruel regime of occupation, oppression, and denial of fundamental rights,” she said.
The political sociologist’s life goal is to end the Israeli regime and the creation of a new political order of equality for all. “Anything the international community can do to bring this about is positive,” she concluded.
Renée Boskaljon is a freelance journalist and migration researcher based in Morocco
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