Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema commented on recent attacks on Israeli fans after a football match, calling the incident a “toxic cocktail” of anti-Semitic sentiments and aggressive behavior.
This was reported by The Times Of Israel.
He stressed that this incident reflects both the growth of xenophobia and the injustice shown both towards the city’s Jewish population and towards representatives of minorities who support the Palestinian Arabs.
Previously, Cursor published the heroic story of a Maccabi fan who saved the Israelis in Amsterdam.
A resident of the Druze village of Kisra Sumea in the Galilee, Melhem Assad, showed bravery by saving Israelis during an anti-Semitic pogrom in Amsterdam.
His feat was reported on the social network “X” by the famous Arab activist who supports Israel, Yosef Hadad. He noted that Assad, a long-time Maccabi Tel Aviv fan, had traveled to Amsterdam along with hundreds of other Israeli fans to support his team against Ajax.
During the outbreak of violence, Assad noticed a group of rioters discussing in Arabic a plan to attack the Jews. Using his knowledge of the language, he approached them and convinced them that “there were no more Jews” on the opposite side of the street, thus confusing them and protecting his compatriots. He then rushed to warn the Israelis that a group of immigrants was nearby planning an attack.
Assad also noted that before the start of the match, there were many police officers present in the stadium area to ensure the safety of Israeli fans on their way to the arena. However, according to him, after the match the Amsterdam police disappeared, despite frequent clashes between fans after the matches. Using Arabic to avoid attracting attention, he pushed through the crowd to warn as many Israelis as possible of the danger.
Assad admitted that the violent scenes in Amsterdam reminded him of the events of October 7, 2023. He noted that at that moment he felt that he was in the right place at the right time to save as many people as possible, thanks to divine intervention. .
