The violence in Amsterdam against Israeli citizens has drawn a dark line that Europe crossed long ago. What started as football fan clashes turned into a horrific attack targeting Jews in the streets—people hunted down, humiliated, and assaulted simply for being Israeli. And let’s be clear: this isn’t an isolated incident or some one-off, random eruption of anger. It’s part of a troubling wave that has swept through Europe, where anti-Israel rhetoric and blatant anti-Semitism have become alarmingly fashionable.
Consider the chilling scenes that played out. Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv, in town for a Europa League game against Ajax, found themselves fleeing mobs through the streets. They were forced to leap into canals or take shelter in hotels as a self-appointed “justice” mob screamed slogans like “Free Palestine!” and taunted them with “Now you know how it feels.” This is not some misguided show of “solidarity” with Palestinians; it’s plain anti-Semitic violence, nothing less.
Two of the Muslim immigrant lynchers in Amsterdam.
They should be deported. pic.twitter.com/rUjkyuT1wD— The Uri (@uricohenisrael) November 8, 2024
Even Dutch officials are shocked. Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned the attacks, calling them “completely unacceptable anti-Semitic acts.” Amsterdam’s mayor expressed shame at the mob’s behavior, noting that it’s far removed from the values her city supposedly upholds. And yet, we have to ask—where did this come from? Well, it isn’t difficult to connect the dots.
“This is nothing like Amsterdam,” said the city’s mayor Femke Halsema. “I’m very ashamed of the behavior that was shown last night.”
Anti-Israel sentiments have been whipped up to a fever pitch across Europe over the past year, and it’s impossible to ignore the ideological fuel that has driven this violence. “Pro-Palestine” protests, under the guise of political expression, have morphed into an all-out assault on anything Israeli. Posters of kidnapped Israelis are ripped down; products, artists, and even innocent citizens from Israel are ostracized and dehumanized. In intellectual and activist circles alike, Israel has been painted as a monstrous, “genocidal” state, and this toxic narrative has emboldened some to take “justice” into their own hands.
Some reports suggest the Amsterdam attackers were of Arab origin, possibly recent immigrants. If that’s true, it adds another layer to this crisis—raising serious questions about Europe’s immigration and integration policies. Do we really want to welcome people who, to quote UK official Kemi Badenoch, “hate Israel”? Is this what “diversity” and “inclusion” are supposed to look like?
If a violent mob is hunting down Jews simply for being Jews, there’s no need to put quotations around the word “antisemitic,” as though the nature of the attack were somehow in doubt.
A pogrom is, by definition, antisemitic. Denying the existence of the pogrom in Amsterdam… pic.twitter.com/LMnoIiDXHB
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) November 10, 2024
The truth is that Europe has tolerated and even celebrated an unhinged, one-sided hatred of Israel in the name of political activism. But when people begin crossing the line from holding anti-Israel views to attacking innocent people in the streets, we can’t just chalk it up as an “anomaly.” This isn’t isolated. It’s the natural, tragic outcome of years of unchecked Israelophobia.
When you import the third world, you become the third world.
A tough lesson Amsterdam and all of Europe are grappling with. pic.twitter.com/2Mn7bHSJ77
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) November 8, 2024
Europe is at a crossroads: either reject this bigotry against Israel and its people or watch as violent mobs in Amsterdam and beyond become the twisted embodiment of a popular ideology gone rotten. The message is simple—hate has consequences, and now Europe must decide which side of history it wants to be on.
