Halsema is still just in critical debate and repeats: ‘The highest level made against violence’

The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, has survived the critical debate about how violence started in Amsterdam. The opposition party JA21 submitted a motion of no confidence against the mayor, but no other party in the city council supported the motion.

In the debate, the political parties had questions, among other things, about how quickly they responded to 112 reports and whether Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv should be formally declared a high-risk match.

The mayor did it again the triangle (mayor, police, Public Prosecution Service) have done “the utmost” to prevent violence.

She admitted that it had not been possible to “ensure the safety of everyone in the town”. There was already controversy surrounding the game last Wednesday, a day before kick-off. After the game on Thursday night, things got out of hand in the city. Things sometimes got out of hand, especially in the days that followed last night in Amsterdam West.

The mayor confirmed that she had been in contact with the National Co-ordinator for Terrorism and Security (NCTV) long before the game. He ruled that there was no real danger. So there was no need to ban fans from Maccabi Tel Aviv. The city also had contact with the European football association UEFA at an early stage.

According to Halsema, Maccabi Tel Aviv is not known as a ‘high risk club’. “Hard heart and fanatical behavior mostly involves lighting torches. In fact there was an incident in Athens (in which an Egyptian man was abused by a group of supporters, ed.). But that was on a small scale. We accepted it. this in and that didn’t lead to another assessment.”

The mayor said that the competition was ultimately considered a high risk competition. Police deployment was increased and pro-Palestinian demonstrations planned at the Arena were moved. That was to prevent conflict between supporters and demonstrators.

Halsema spoke out strongly against anti-Semitism, but also against representing groups of people as anti-Semitic:

Halsema looked back on the disturbances with a matter-of-fact account. A group of Macabbi supporters sold a flag from a building in Rokin on Wednesday and attacked a taxi driver who said something about it. They also chanted anti-Arab slogans when they were taken to the Johan Cruijff Arena the next day.

Maccabi supporters who were returning from the game were then attacked by gangs who were carrying out ‘hit and run’ activities. There was a discussion on social media about ‘Jew hunting’ in which several people were abused and people were asked about their nationality.

Halsema and police commissioner Holla noted that the ‘hit-and-run activities’ were particularly difficult to prevent, despite the large police deployment of hundreds of additional officers, and that the police are also struggle nationally by dealing with these types of attacks.

“For many people in our city – Jewish, Moroccan, Turkish, Palestinian, Asian, European, religious, non-religious – it has just hurt to be an Amsterdammer in the last few days. gone,” said Halsema. She spoke of the “disgraceful, shocking and very hurtful” words chanted by Maccabi supporters.

For example, they sang ‘The schools in Gaza are closed, because there are no more children’. At the same time, Halsema also admitted that these expressions might not be legally punished. “There is a big difference between slogans that are offensive and those that can be punished. “

On the other hand, the mayor also said that what happened next was not legitimate. “Terrible things have been said: death for Arabs. I have heard it too. But going on a Jewish hunt is one step further,” says Halsema.

“That’s just an organized search through our city, telling each other, asking people for their passports, seeing if people meet criteria that -will believe that they belong to Jews and then beat them. That is not allowed.”

The mayor also said she would continue to support the word ‘pogrom’, which she used after the events: