Days away from the 86th Kristallnacht anniversary, two of Florida's top Jewish lawmakers are demanding Amsterdam authorities crack down on the "antisemitic squads" who attacked Israeli soccer fans after a Thursday night match in the Dutch capital city.
Carried out by a slew of youths on scooters, the Israeli embassy to the United States said that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans "were ambushed and attacked" after the Ajax game. Videos on social media show one man yelling "Free Palestine" as he hit an Israeli fan and another man shouting "I am not Jewish" before he was thrown to the ground and beaten anyway, CNN reported.
Democrat Rep. Jared Moskowitz and Republican state Senator-elect Randy Fine, two of Florida's leading Jewish legislators, took to social media to blast the attack as a "pogrom," a Russian word first used to describe imperial Russia's antisemitic riots and slaughtering of Jews in the 19th and 20th centuries.
"A horrible Pogrom in action. Where are the police? Just allowing Jews to be hunted and beaten in the streets," Moskowitz posted on X. "We will demand answers from [the Netherlands embassy in the U.S.]."
Fine, the state Legislature's sole Jewish Republican and an Israel war hawk, agreed—slamming the "Muslim problem" as the reason behind the attacks.
"I will be calling the Consul General of the Netherlands in Miami tomorrow and letting them know that if they don't deal with their #MuslimProblem, I am going to cause them one in Florida," Fine posted Thursday, advocating for mass deportations. "There very well may Florida Jews involved in that pogrom."
He hoped that far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders would "hunt down and dispatch" the "Muslim terrorists." Wilders shared that sentiment, posting that authorities should "Arrest and deport the multicultural scum that attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in our streets."
The attack was carried out on the night of Nov. 7, two days before the 86th anniversary of the Nazis' anti-Jewish rampage across Germany and parts of Austria. Now called Kristallnacht—the Night of the Broken Glass—the end result was horrifying: over 7,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed, 900 synagogues were consumed by flames, 91 Jews were murdered, and 30,000 Jewish men were hauled to concentration camps. This was the Nazis' first massive arrest of Jews just because they were Jews.
As for Amsterdam, 63 people were arrested Thursday night though just 10 remain in custody. Five Israelis were hospitalized and have since been discharged while up to 30 more were "lightly injured." Upon hearing of the attacks, the Israeli airline El Al had sent planes to Amsterdam to rescue endangered citizens, and Amsterdam has since banned demonstrations for the next three days.
Before culminating in Thursday's attacks, tensions had been building since Wednesday in the Dutch capital when pro-Palestine protests cropped up in anticipation of the Israeli team's arrival. Amsterdam authorities banned one planned pro-Palestine demonstration near the stadium, telling them to protest elsewhere.
Videos showed crowds of Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans en route to the game, the New York Times reported, including "fuck the Arabs" as other videos showed men yanking down Palestinian flags. It's unclear if these were filmed before the game or before the attacks on the Israeli fans.
