154 Dutch soccer fans were arrested in Amsterdam after chanting antisemitic slurs on their way to the Johan Cruijff Arena, in the Dutch capital, on Saturday.
The fans, who were not identified as supporters of a specific club by local police, received multiple warnings to stop singing the chant, a police statement stated. The arrest occurred on the same day Ajax and AZ Alkmaar were competing in the former's home stadium.
While the police did not identify the allegiance of the fans, AZ Alkmaar issued a statement condemning the antisemitic chants, according to Dutch media.
"The club condemns inflammatory behavior and discrimination in the strongest terms and explicitly dissociates itself from those who are guilty of it," the club said in a statement.
Dutch media also reports that of the 153 fans, only 11 suspects remained in police custody overnight. It is alleged that the 11 detainees committed acts of verbal and physical abuse and broke the windows of police cars.
Eddie Verdoner, the Dutch national coordinator for combating antisemitism, was cited by Dutch media as saying “People are getting the message that this is no longer acceptable. I’m glad this is happening. We can see a turning point, things are finally changing.
“You can see when someone uses that kind of language in a [soccer] context that it filters through. “Jew” is used in the classroom, for example, which makes Jewish people feel unsafe.”
Jewish identity in Dutch soccer
Ajax has been branded as a Jewish club, despite having no Jewish roots. Fans of Ajax often self-describe as “Super Jews” and have been seen waving Israeli flags after matches.
The club has been the target of antisemitic chants in the past. The European Jewish Association stated that in 2021 supporters of Arnhem chanted “Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas” toward Ajax.
At the time, Dutch chief rabbi and European Jewish Association Chairman of the organization’s committee for combatting antisemitism Binyomin Jacobs issued a statement stating “Clearly the chants are abhorrent and disgusting. They are ignorant and [represent] a twin attack on Jews: on Israel and on the Holocaust. The natural reaction is to condemn in the strongest possible terms. We, of course, do so.”
“But that on its own is not enough. We must be constructive, we must engage, we must educate so that those who chant what they think are throw-away lines in the spirit of rivalry, are fully aware of the weight of their words, of the damage and hurt that they cause."
"The mayor and I, a Jew and a Muslim are fully aware of the dangers of ignorant prejudice. And we are also fully aware that boxing people in with condemnation can just entrench positions into ‘them and us.’ This serves nobody’s interest. Our town hall meeting which I am grateful to the Mayor for initiating, will be a frank, and we imagine difficult, exchange of views. But an entirely necessary one.”
Also in 2021, as previously reported by The Jerusalem Post, an antisemitic mural was painted featuring Ajax players.
Antisemitic beliefs are becoming widespread in Netherlands
The Post has also reported on the increasingly widespread antisemitic beliefs in the Netherlands. According to the report, 23% of Dutch millennials and Gen Z believe that the Holocaust is a myth, or that it occurred but the number of Jews who died has been greatly exaggerated.
It was also found that 29% of Dutch respondents, including 37% of Dutch millennials and Gen Zs believe that two million or fewer Jews were killed during the Holocaust.
Zvika Klein contributed to this report