A European soccer match between Amsterdam's Ajax and Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv became a flashpoint of violence last month, with taxi drivers organizing "Jew hunts" and Israeli fans being chased through streets.
A Washington Post investigation, examining over 100 videos and interviewing 30 witnesses, claims that there was a complex web of escalating tensions that began even before kickoff.
The Night Before
Around midnight before the match, the first sparks ignited when Maccabi supporters tore down a Palestinian flag from a building. Shortly after, a confrontation between fans and a taxi driver escalated, with the driver's car being struck multiple times. This incident sparked outrage in local WhatsApp groups, with one message ominously declaring "TOMORROW AFTER THE GAME AT NIGHT PART 2 JEW HUNT."
According to the Washington Post, this removal of the flag was more than enough of a reason for the Jewish fans to be chased, thrown into a canal, rammed, beaten, run over and verbally abused. It was also more than enough reason to perpetrate the following crimes:
- Israeli fan Shaked Amiran, 27, reported being confronted by knife-wielding attackers
- Dan Kopla, 33, was punched in the ear before escaping
- A lawyer named Ziv took shelter in KFC with his teenage children while police refused escorts
- Modified fireworks attached to paint thinner bottles were deployed
Obviously, and although they honestly should have known better, although 1,200 police officers were deployed initially at stadium, they left. They admit that they had difficulty controlling "scattered flash points", with some Israelis saying that the police even joined in on the attacks.
Based on the Post's bizarre analysis, while the attacks weren't premeditated days in advance, they became partially organized as events unfolded. They also claim that Israeli fans also "attacked, chased, and in many cases beat Muslims throughout the city" which not only hasn't been proven, but also, if it did happen, it was ONLY in response to vicious blatant and scary antisemitism, reminiscent of Germany in 1938.
In fact, if Israelis were indeed the aggressors, why were all of the victims hospitalized Israeli? No Israeli fans were charged with anything like attempted manslaughter charges, as a Gaza attacker was. No one had to rescue the attackers on an emergency plane.
"It felt like a war zone," said Ziv, whose full name is withheld for safety. Local Jewish community leader Victor Loonstein, 37, reports his wife is now urging their family to emigrate to Israel: "I don't want to do that, my life is here."
While the Maccabi supporters may not have been perfectly innocent, nothing they did can explain the violence and sheer evil that they faced.
Once again though, the Washington Post has erred on the wrong side. And none of us are even a tiny bit surprised.
