An organized attack on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam, Netherlands, which left several hospitalized, has caught the eye of Canadian leaders and Jewish rights groups alike.
Canadian political leaders shared their condemnation of anti-Israel activists hunting down Jews in Amsterdam following a soccer game involving Israel’s Maccabi team Thursday night in an attack many are labelling as a pre-Holocaust style pogrom.
Amsterdam police have reported that five people have been treated for wounds at the hospital, and 62 arrests have been made. Police reported possible hostage situations, though by Friday, they confirmed that there were no missing persons. 20 to 30 Maccabi supporters were also reported to have been treated with minor injuries at Amstelveen Hospital.
Canadian condemnation first came from the deputy leader of the Conservative Party, Melissa Lantsman, on X Thursday night.
“The scenes from the streets of Amsterdam tonight are absolutely horrific. This is what ‘globalize the inifada” looks like,” Lantsman said on X. “Don’t look the other way. Watch the footage and stand up against this lawless mob there and everywhere.”
Some of the footage of the pogrom shared on X shows men being chased down by the mob, anti-Israel activists ramming into Jews with their cars, mobs breaking into hotels where Jews fled to, individuals kicked repeatedly while laying still on the ground, and men shouting “I’m not Jewish” while being beaten by several in an alleyway.
Other videos show an injured man being carried away to safety while fireworks are shot at Israeli soccer fans and a man forced to say “free Palestine” after jumping into a canal.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre added that the “abhorrent” attack came days before the anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the “The Night of Broken Glass” in Germany, a violent attack on Jews and their property in Munich in 1938. The violent pogrom marked the beginning of the Nazi’s attacks on Jews which later escalated into the Holocaust.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also condemned the attack, calling the pogrom “horrifying.”
“This is a dark moment for our world — and one we have seen before,” he said. “My heart goes out to the victims and the entire Jewish community today. Canada condemns this disgusting antisemitism.”
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh condemned the violence but also took it as an opportunity to admonish the actions of Maccabi fans the night before.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs condemned Singh’s comments as an act of “both-siding” the anti-Jewish violence.
Supporters of the violence have said the incident was in response to Maccabi supporters tearing down Palestine flags, incidents of vandalism and attacks on taxi drivers with the flags displayed, and pro-IDF chants the night before.
Amsterdam police have launched a “major investigation” into the events. The Mossad have said they warned the Netherlands about the attacks before they happened as they were organized on Whatsapp and Telegram channels by a “Palestinian community in the Netherlands” group. Some reports alleged a former UNRWA employee in Syria who immigrated to the Netherlands was involved in the attack.
Police said they deployed a total of around 800 officers with assistance from across the country.
Supporters of the violence have said the incident was in response to Maccabi supporters tearing down Palestine flags, incidents of vandalism and attacks on taxi drivers with the flags displayed, and pro-IDF chants the night before.
Austin Parcel, the research manager at B’nai Brith Canada, told True North in an interview that the attacks represent a “chilling resurgence” of antisemitic violence in Europe, the likes of which the world hasn’t seen since the years leading up to World War 2.
“It occurred just days before Kristallnacht’s 86th anniversary on Saturday, which further reminds us what happens when hate against Jews is allowed to fester unchallenged. We have to recognize that antisemitism is not confined to foreign shores. It’s here in Canada, too. Incidents like this lead to embolden antisemites globally,” he said.
He noted the presence of a terrorist convicted in France of a 1980 synagogue bombing teaching at Carlton as just one example of unchecked antisemitism.
“It’s festered in Amsterdam, it’s festered in France, it’s festered in the US, and it’s festering here, and this is what happens when it goes unchallenged,” Parcel said.
The Jewish Federations of North America and the VP of CIJA, Nico Slobinsky, have also released statements of condemnation and warning to Canadians about the possibility of similar attacks in Canada if antisemitism is not addressed.
