43.6 F
New York
Thursday, November 14, 2024
type here...
International News

Brutal Muslim Attack on Israeli Soccer Fans in Amsterdam Sparks Global Condemnation of Anti-Semitic Violence

By TJV news
0
322
In this image taken from video, police escort Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters to the metro station leading them to the Ajax stadium, after pro-Palestinian supporters marched near the stadium, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo InterVision)

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Brutal Muslim Attack on Israeli Soccer Fans in Amsterdam Sparks Global Condemnation of Anti-Semitic Violence

By: Fern Sidman

A harrowing scene unfolded in the Netherlands on Thursday evening as hundreds of Israeli soccer fans, gathered to support the Maccabi Tel Aviv team in a match against Ajax, were targeted in a coordinated and violent assault by groups of Arabs in Amsterdam. The incident, which involved hundreds of attackers lying in wait at various city locations, left many Israeli fans severely injured and traumatized. YWN reported that the attack, which took place primarily at train stations, hotels, and casinos, was premeditated, with Israeli security officials reportedly alerting Dutch authorities to a potential threat – a warning that went unheeded.

In reaction to this modern day pogrom, a number of Jewish organizations weighed in with their statements and condemnation of the reprehensible violence targeting Jews.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has called the vicious attacks against Israeli soccer fans in the streets of Amsterdam last night a new Kristallnacht.

“Exactly 86 years after Kristallnacht, when Nazis, along with ordinary Germans hunted Jews through the streets of Europe, we see their ideological heirs rampaging through the streets of Amsterdam once again seeking to spill Jewish blood,” said CEO of CAM Sacha Roytman Dratwa. “Thousands of Islamists, who are today’s neo-Nazis in ideology and action, in a clearly premeditated and organized fashion, targeted Jews in what feels to many as a loud echo from history.”

“The difference today is that Jews have the State of Israel as their sanctuary. However, Europe should remember this: Jews won’t wait around like they did in ’39. They’ll leave, leaving you to deal with the extremism that has been allowed to fester. As they said over eight decades ago, first they came for the Jews, but it clearly did not end there. It’s time for Europe to get its act together and deal with the new Nazis as it did the old ones.”

 Ambassador Ofir Akunis, Consul General of Israel in New York said in a statement on Friday, “What we saw last night in Amsterdam was nothing less than a pogrom – mobs attacking Jewish Israelis simply because of who they were. As we mark the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht – when mobs bombed Jewish homes, synagogues and businesses as authorities stood by or encouraged the violence – history is crying out: Never Again! The Dutch government’s unequivocal condemnation of these attacks – and their vow to restore order to the streets of Amsterdam – are crucial steps, as anti-Semitic violence becomes normalized across the civilized world. Above all else, these horrific scenes underscore the raison d’etre of the State of Israel: to be a refuge for Jews, everywhere and always”.

Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, characterized the violent attack as a “pogrom.”

He wrote on X, “These are the true faces of the supporters of the radical terrorism we are fighting. The Western world needs to wake up now!!”

 Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, said once again, “we are forced to witness as Jewish blood is once again shed with impunity. I call, in the strongest and most unequivocal terms, on the leaders of the world: the responsibility for the safety of Jews in your countries is yours alone.”

The President of United Haztalah, Eli Beer, said, “This is what happens when terrorists are allowed into Europe.” He added, “Tonight, in central Amsterdam, young Jews were attacked by Palestinians, facing attempted lynching. The police were absent or arrived too late. This is happening in the heart of Europe, and it’s only the beginning. In Israel, we confront this daily, but now it’s spreading to Europe.”

The attack follows a disturbing pattern, as seen earlier this year when radicals targeted the opening of the first dedicated Dutch Holocaust Museum. Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor, Founder and Executive Director of CyberWell, an independent nonprofit focused on combatting online anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, has demanded a clear and firm enforcement from Dutch officials.

Montemayor shared:  “When radicals targeted the opening of the first dedicated Dutch Holocaust Museum in March of this year with violence and destruction of property, the writing was on the wall. But it was ignored, and disregarded by Holland’s government and security forces as a “response” to the war in Gaza.

Today, the vicious attack in Amsterdam against Israeli football fans is nothing short of an anti-Semitic pogrom. And just before the eve of Kristallnacht, no less.

The situation in Amsterdam is grave and unfolding. Tens of injured, including 12 who were sent to the hospital, and at least three Israelis who currently are missing. Eyewitnesses reported seeing young men trying to kidnap the injured who were beaten by the thugs hunting Jews.

The erroneous and perilous tolerance of violent, pro-terror Jew-hatred must end across our digital and physical spaces immediately. European leadership needs to commit to fighting Jew-hatred with significant and robust action and enforcement of law – not apologies.”

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum also weighed in, strongly condemning the vicious attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam and the outrageous celebrations of those attacks, which are warning signs for any society.

“We commend the Dutch authorities for their rapid denunciation of these anti-Semitic attacks. Governments and citizens must always hold perpetrators accountable and work to prevent hatred of Jews.

“This event is especially chilling, coming just as we mark the 86th anniversary of the November pogrom (Kristallnacht), when Jews throughout Nazi Germany were systematically attacked by Nazis as fellow citizens looked on,” said Museum Chairman Stuart E. Eizenstat. “Holocaust history is an urgent reminder about the dangers of silence and complicity and the need for all societies to aggressively confront anti-Semitism.”

On Friday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement:

“I am appalled that once again Jews in Europe became victims of an unthinkable anti-Semitic attack directed at Israeli soccer fans. The premeditated ambush in Amsterdam is abhorrent and must be universally condemned. For thousands of years, Jewish communities in Europe and throughout the world have had to endure prejudice, persecution, pain, expulsions and the horrors of the Holocaust. Last night, after a year of immense heartbreak for Jews everywhere, we were yet again reminded of this painful and unacceptable reality.

The perpetrators of this attack must be held accountable to the full extent of the law, all Israeli citizens must be successfully evacuated and Dutch authorities must better safeguard the Jewish community. The startling rise of anti-Semitism must be urgently addressed and crushed by people of goodwill throughout the world.”

On Friday morning, doctors and medical teams from the international unit of Magen David Adom, located in Belgium and France, went to the central hospital in Amsterdam to help, support, and meet the medical needs of the Israeli wounded. They arrived at the hospital and met the last of the wounded Israelis in preparation for their release from the hospital after they received good and proper treatment at the hospital. From there, the team of the MDA international unit continued to the hotel where hundreds of Israelis were staying, and in the hotel lobby, they met the Israelis and helped those who asked to be examined. Later this evening, an El Al plane will land in the Netherlands on a special flight in cooperation with MDA paramedics, who will accompany the wounded Israelis who will return to Israel tonight.

The initiative was born as part of efforts to provide quick and comprehensive assistance to any Israeli citizen affected by the incident, as part of Magen David Adom’s commitment to provide medical assistance beyond Israel’s borders when needed.

An emergency medic from the MDA’s international unit in Paris, Arie Elmaleh, who arrived with the doctors, said: “When we learned about the incident, we were in contact with Magen David Adom in Israel, who instructed us to urgently go to the hospital in Amsterdam, to provide any assistance for Israelis who might need it. In the afternoon we arrived at the hospital, where we met the last of the wounded who were released from the hospital, and they told us that they felt well and that they received good medical care.

From there, we continued to the hotel where the Israelis were, and in the hotel lobby, we saw about 200 of the Israelis, including those who had been released from the hospital. They were very happy to see us in the Red Star of David uniform at their place in Amsterdam and it was an exciting meeting. Some of the injured asked to be examined again by our doctors, and we performed medical examinations. They are overall in good condition and are waiting for their flight back to Israel. We will escort them from the hotel with the help of the Jewish community to the airport, and there they will join our Magen David Adom paramedics who arrived in the Netherlands on a special El-Al flight. We will stay with them until the moment they board the flight”

balance of natureDonate

- Advertisement -
Previous article
Report: FEMA Official Instructed Hurricane Relief Workers to Skip Trump Supporters’ Homes
Next article
Africa CDC Urges Trump to Keep Biden’s Vaccine Giveaway Promises

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest article

- Advertisement -

Website managed by Webterior Designs

DONATE NOW
Subscribe Now

© The Jewish Voice. All rights reserved.

About Us

Popular Category

Editor Picks