On November 7th, the capital of the Netherlands was the scene of clashes between Israeli supporters and anti-war protesters in Gaza.
An Amsterdam court on Tuesday convicted five men of violence and conspiracy to commit violence against Israeli football fans in November, in attacks that were considered anti-Semitic by many Western governments.
The Amsterdam Public Prosecutor’s Office found the five men guilty of a series of offenses ranging from kicking fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv on the street until incite violence in online chat groups.
The court pronounced sentences of six months, 10 weeks and one month in prisonas well as 100 hours of community service.
One of the accused, 32 years old, received the heavier sentence for chasing, pushing and hitting several Israeli supportersincluding one that was already on the floor, according to the images shown at the hearing.
The judge said that, normally, people convicted of this type of crime are sentenced to community service.
“But the court considers that, given the seriousness of the offense and the context in which it was committed, only a prison sentence is appropriate,” he added.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office sentenced a 24-year-old man to one month in prison for having attacked fans and violently ripped off a scarf from Maccabi to one of them.
The young man was also identified as the author of a WhatsApp message that referred to a “hunt for the Jews”.
“I don’t hate Jews, I don’t know why I said that,” he told the court during his appearance.
A 19-year-old young man, the only defendant present this Tuesday at the trial, was sentenced to 100 hours of community service for having throwing stones at the police and for illegally possessing fireworks.
Police said they were investigating at least 45 people linked to violenceincluding Maccabi supporters accused of provocative behavior.
The appearance of another suspect, from the Gaza Strip, was postponed to an undisclosed date, in order to undergo a psychological evaluation, the Public Ministry said.
This 22-year-old man is on trial for attempted involuntary manslaughterthe most serious charge in these cases.
Six other suspects are expected to appear in court at a later date. Three of them are minors and their hearings will take place behind closed doors.
Clashes between Israeli supporters and anti-war protesters in Gaza
On November 7th, the capital of the Netherlands was the scene of clashes between Israeli supporters and anti-war protesters in Gaza.
Before the football match, for the Europa League, between Ajax e o Maccabi Tel Avivthe tension was already high, with supporters of this club tearing down Palestinian flags, burning a Palestinian flag in the central Dam Square and vandalizing a taxi.
At least 10 Israelis were injured and the police detained close to 60 people.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who leads a right-wing coalition government, condemned the incidents, saying “Horrified by anti-Semitic attacks against Israeli citizens.” Before the football game, the tension was high.
According to the police, Israeli fans chanted chanted anti-Arab slogans, vandalized a taxi and burned a Palestinian flag.
