'This is what globalize the intifada looks like': Global leaders react to Amsterdam pogrom

Violent attacks on Israelis within Amsterdam, following a Maccabi Tel Aviv game against Ajax Amsterdam, resulted in several wounded, three people missing, and a warning for Jewish and Israeli people in Amsterdam to shelter in place.

US President Joe Biden condemned the attacks in a post to X/Twitter, stating, "The Antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam are despicable and echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted."

The Antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam are despicable and echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted.We've been in touch with Israeli and Dutch officials and appreciate Dutch authorities’ commitment to holding the perpetrators accountable.We…

— President Biden (@POTUS) November 8, 2024

"We've been in touch with Israeli and Dutch officials and appreciate Dutch authorities’ commitment to holding the perpetrators accountable."

"We must relentlessly fight Antisemitism, wherever it emerges," Biden wrote.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed of the incident and sent two rescue planes to assist Israeli citizens.

A pogrom in the streets of #Amsterdam. We have become the Gaza of Europe. Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews. I will NOT accept that. NEVER. The authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens.Never again.

— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) November 8, 2024

The Prime Minister's Office said Netanyahu views the "horrifying incident with utmost gravity" and called on the Dutch government and security forces take "vigorous and swift action against the rioters." 

Said Amir Gissin, CEO of Maccabi World Union, "Maccabi World Union is spread throughout the world and is prepared to provide assistance to Israeli and Jewish sports fans. We will also stand at the forefront of the global fight against antisemitism, together with our partners at the Ministry of the Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Jewish organizations."

The University of Haifa issued a stern letter to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the country’s university heads with an unequivocal call to condemn Thursday night’s attack on Israelis that occurred in Amsterdam. 

The letter read,  “What happened last night is nothing short of antisemitism and Jew hatred. We expect Dutch academia and all University Presidents to condemn this senseless violence and to call upon the Dutch government to find all the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Dutch academia cannot stand by and ignore this unacceptable behavior once again.”

International reactions 

Prime Minister Dick Schoof shared on X/Twitter that he had just received a call from Netanyahu regarding the violent incident.

"Completely unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis. I am in close contact with all those involved" he said, concluding that the riots had quieted down. 

Schoof later added on Friday the attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam had been horrendous and a sign of increasing antisemitism in the Netherlands.

"I feel ashamed about what happened in the Netherlands," Schoof told reporters on the sidelines of a summit of European Union leaders in Budapest. "It has been a dreadful night."

Schoof said he would leave the summit early on Friday afternoon to return to Amsterdam.

Dutch Party for Freedom founder and leader Geert Wilders posted, “We have become the Gaza of Europe. Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews. I will NOT accept that. NEVER. The authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens. Never again.

Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt reacted, "Horrified by the attacks tonight in Amsterdam, which are terribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom. 

"In terrible historical irony, this is happening two days before the grim anniversary of Reichspogromnacht in 1938, when Nazi-sanctioned and led pogroms against Jews erupted across the German Reich."

Melissa Lantsman, who is a Canadian Member of Parliament and a strong advocate for Israel, posted, "The scenes from the streets of Amsterdam tonight are absolutely horrific. This is what “globalize the intifada” looks like. 

She warned, "Don’t look the other way. Watch the footage and stand up against this lawless mob there and everywhere."

US Senator Katie Boyd Britt from Alabama wrote, "It is absolutely despicable to see the blatant attacks on Jews in Amsterdam, many forced to flee for their lives.

After the Holocaust, we said Never Again, yet here we are nearly 80 years later.  I am praying for the Jewish people worldwide."

US Senator Chuck Schumer added his condemnations, stating the events of Thursday night were "...pure evil and the images of the attack are eerily reminiscent of Kristallnacht.

"The failure to protect the fans must be investigated swiftly and comprehensively.

"The resurgence of antisemitism around the world is completely unacceptable and must be forcefully condemned."

This anti-Semitic attack on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam is pure evil and the images of the attack are eerily reminiscent of Kristallnacht.The failure to protect the fans must be investigated swiftly and comprehensively.The resurgence of antisemitism around the world is…

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 8, 2024

Elica Le Bon, an Iranian-British lawyer and activist shared her disgust at this level of public antisemitism. "This is the direct result of normalizing antisemitism post-Oct. 7, where the most flagrant acts of Jew-hatred were cast aside as just “bleeding hearts who are against the war.”

"Remind me again how these are all just kind people who care about humanity?"

National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, condemned "the mobs of people hate-filled people chasing down and attacking innocent Israeli soccer fans who they have dehumanized as 'Zionists'."

"We demand Dutch authorities do everything necessary to ensure the safety of the Israeli fans, work to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators, and apologize for this obscene, unprovoked violence."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded to the violent incident, "The reports of violence against Israeli fans in Amsterdam are unbearable. We cannot accept this," Scholz wrote in a post on X. "Jews must be able to feel safe in Europe."

A 'new Kristallnacht': Diaspora groups react

The Combat Antisemitism Movement similarly referred to the Amsterdam attack as a modern-day Kristallnacht. 

In a press release, the organization stated, “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. As they said over eight decades ago, first, they came for the Jews, but it 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.”

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) responded to the attack in a message shared on X, "UEFA strongly condemns the incidents and acts of violence that occurred last night in the city of Amsterdam before and after the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv". 

"UEFA will examine all official reports, gather available evidence, assess them and evaluate any further appropriate course of action in accordance with its relevant regulatory framework."

Adding to the list of condemnations, the Jewish Federation stated they were "horrified and outraged at the hate-filled antisemitic attacks in Amsterdam, in which anti-Israel mobs terrorized and beat Israelis and Jews trying to enjoy a soccer game. 

"This modern-day pogrom, just two days before the anniversary of Kristallnacht, should make it clear that the entire world must act now to condemn and prosecute to the fullest all the perpetrators and take every necessary step to protect the Jewish community. 

"We are in close contact with our partners in Israel and The Jewish Agency for Israel as we continue our commitment to the security of Jewish communities around the world.” 

The Orthodox Union added, "We are horrified by the organized and vicious antisemitic attack on Israelis in Amsterdam.

"Coming days before the anniversary of Kristallnacht, it is time for world leaders and individuals of conscience to recognize that brazen attacks against Jews is what protestors are calling for when they chant “globalize the intifada”.

"While we appreciate that leaders in the Netherlands and Europe have rightly condemned this brazen attack, it demands more than statements. It demands that governments take new and concrete actions - both proactive and reactive - to stop this scourge, protect Jews, and prosecute those who criminally attack us.

"'Never again' is not a prophecy or a prediction, it is a pledge and a commitment to stand up against antisemitic violence. This commitment cannot come only from Israel and the Jewish community. It must be the commitment of every government, all law enforcement officials, and every person of good faith in every country in our world."

Philanthropist and businessman Bill Ackman, who previously ceased donations to Harvard University over incidents of antisemitism, announced he would be taking active measures in response to the attacks. 

"I am going to seek approval from the board of Pershing Square Holdings— in which I and my family own 23% of the shares—to eliminate its listing on the @euronext Amsterdam exchange," Ackman announced on X/Twitter on Friday. "I have also begun the conversation with  @UMG  (on whose board I sit) which is domiciled in Amsterdam as well as listed there, about moving its domicile and its listing to the United States, which will offer similar as well as other highly material benefits. "