published on Workers World, November 9, 2024
The following statement was issued by Samidoun Nederland on Nov. 8, 2024, following the genocidal chants (including “Kill the Arabs” and cheering for the mass slaughter of Palestinian children in Gaza), thefts of Palestinian flags, destruction of property, breaking of windows and attacks on Arab and Muslim community members by Zionist football hooligans, fans of “Maccabi Tel Aviv” in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Read the original statement online at tinyurl.com/y3k3hr7f.
This was followed by the popular response holding the rioting hooligans accountable for their fascist attacks in the streets through community self-defense. In response, the imperialist powers once again underlined their full responsibility and involvement in the ongoing genocide in Palestine, as officials from the notorious Geert Wilders of the Netherlands to Ursula von der Leyen to Justin Trudeau rushed to condemn the people of Amsterdam for confronting rioting fascist Zionist hooligans in the streets.
The incident demonstrated once again that the masses of the world, including in the heart of the imperial core, find genocidal fascism, racism and Zionism repugnant and are willing to act to defend themselves, their communities and Palestine from their attacks, despite harsh police repression, criminalization and threats of deportation. No amount of repression will force the people to accommodate Zionist racism and support genocide in Palestine.
Throughout the past week, Zionist hooligans have been attacking the people of Amsterdam and causing destruction in the city and its neighborhoods. People walking on the streets wearing keffiyehs, taxi drivers and random Muslims and Arabs have been beaten up by these hooligans. The windows of homes with Palestinian flags were smashed and the flags stolen. The police did not intervene, the media was silent, and the mayor stood by and watched as these Zionist hooligans caused chaos in the city.
Yet how different is the situation after a night in which the people of Amsterdam — Muslims, Christians and Jews, Dutch, Arabs and Palestinians — defended themselves and their city against this violence?! The police arrested dozens of people, the media speaks outrageously with sensationalistic lies, and the mayor speaks of very serious “antisemitic” incidents. It is as if the world turned upside down.
Where in occupied Palestine the imperialist powers declare their support for the Israeli genocide and fulfill it with military, diplomatic and economic assistance, here in Amsterdam the ruling powers express their support for fascist Zionist hooligans who attack our city and our people. Where in Palestine, the Palestinian resistance is repressed with life sentences, here the defenders of Amsterdam are beaten up and arrested by the police. These are, we note, the same police forces that were responsible for arresting tens of thousands of Amsterdam Jews during World War II.
The reaction of the people of Amsterdam to the fascist hooligans is normal and natural. First, because we do not accept any attack on our city and people, and second, because these attacks are racially motivated. It is very clear that the attacks of the Maccabi hooligans are anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim and anti-Arab. This also makes them anti-Amsterdam, because these groups are a crucial part of Amsterdam, of our city, our people and our community. This whole week, Amsterdammers have been attacked and harassed, and last night they decided to defend themselves and not turn the other cheek anymore.
The self-defense of the people of Amsterdam against fascist attacks is indeed exactly what we mean by “Globalize the Intifada.” This is part of the boycott movement to isolate and weaken “Israel.” Just as we fight for the exclusion of the Zionist regime from education, culture and sports, we also want fascist Zionists to have nowhere that they find free rein to celebrate genocide and attack Palestinians, Arabs and entire communities.
The self-defense of the people of Amsterdam also follows months of political and media attacks against Palestinians and their supporters, especially the student activists who have unleashed a student intifada since May. This includes the Dutch entry ban against our European coordinator Mohammed Khatib, which we demand be lifted immediately.
The people of Amsterdam declared last night that Zionism will not be tolerated here. Amsterdam is a Zionism-free city. And if it is not yet, we will make it so.
And no, anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism. This movement is made up of people of all backgrounds, religions and ethnicities. This movement is a popular movement that is against genocide and wants to liberate Palestine from the river to the sea. This movement is not led by one or even several organizations. It is the masses of Amsterdam and the Netherlands, the so-called “ordinary, hard-working Dutch people,” who defended the city against fascist hooligans last night.
We call for the immediate release of all those arrested and the dropping of all charges against them. This is the moment to escalate the fight against genocide and for the liberation of Palestine, together against Dutch support for “Israel” and for the total isolation of the Zionist regime, in sports and all other arenas.
Now is the time to defeat Zionism in Palestine — and its birthplace, Europe!
For a total boycott of the Zionist entity!
Freedom for all prisoners of the Intifada, from Amsterdam to Palestine!