Antisemitism evident in Amsterdam riots, but terrorism ruled out - Dutch Prosecution

Despite identifying antisemitism during the riots against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam on November 7, no terrorism was ascertained to have taken place, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service revealed to De Telegraaf on Saturday. 

Seven men will appear in court on Wednesday, 11, and Thursday, 12 December, on charges ranging from violence to public insult (the bracket for antisemitism).

However, Chief Public Prosecutor René de Beukelaer ruled out terrorism, telling AT5 that while the fear of the Jewish community was understandable, "that is something legally different to terrorism."

"From a legal standpoint, there was no terrorism involved," said De Beukelaer. "The suspects will not face terrorism charges, but in some cases, antisemitism has been formally included in the accusations."

Legal definition

In the Netherlands, terrorism is legally defined as the intent to instill fear in a specific group, he explained. 

The prosecution, however, believes that "there is no evidence to suggest it was the suspects' primary goal, and instead, the riots stemmed from "anger, frustration, and grief over the situation in Israel and Gaza."

De Beukelaer added that much of the evidence behind the charges came from WhatsApp messages on groups. Although antisemitism is not a separate charge in Dutch law, it can fall under group insult or discriminatory statements.