Devil’s advocate: Western media paints Israeli hooligans in Amsterdam as victims

By Alireza Akbari

After the scenes of chaos and commotion on the streets of Amsterdam earlier this week instigated by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, Western media outlets jumped on the bandwagon to give a clean chit to rioters while depicting anti-war Dutch activists as aggressors.

Viral social media videos captured the events leading up to and following the UEFA Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax, showing Israeli hooligans provoking anti-war demonstrators in central Amsterdam by chanting racist slogans as they made their way to the Johan Cruyff Arena.

The Amsterdam police commissioner also reported that Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters assaulted a local Dutch taxi driver and set fire to a Palestinian flag in a hate-filled provocative act.

Eyewitness accounts described groups of Israeli settlers, protected by Mossad agents, cheering “ole” in response to their racist chants on Wednesday night. One individual even climbed the front of a building to tear down a Palestinian flag on Rokin, a prominent street in the city center.

Dozens of local people who resisted their hooliganism were arrested by the Dutch police even as Israeli and Western officials acted in haste to frame the events as an "antisemitic pogrom."

“They shouted things like ‘Death to Arabs’ and ‘Let the IDF f**k the Arabs,’” s Dutch resident was quoted as saying. “It felt like they were purposefully provoking anyone who might stand against them.”

The settlers also chanted vociferous pro-genocide slogans, which many termed hate speech and a brazen breach of the 1948 Genocide Convention, to which the Netherlands is one of the signatories.

“They were tearing down Palestinian flags in the streets and chanting things that would be criminalized in most countries. That’s when the local residents started to confront them," a resident said.

However, Israeli and Western media outlets were quick to paint the Israeli hooligans in Amsterdam as victims and the act of resistance from local Dutch people as "antisemitism."

Israeli newspaper Times of Israel referred to the incident as a “program in Amsterdam,” featuring a photo of a hooligan attempting to remove the Palestinian flag, raising questions about their motivations.

Another Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post reported on the presence of Mossad agents among the Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, further complicating the narrative surrounding the engineered riots.

The release of footage featuring masked Israeli rioters, according to observers, revealed that the whole episode was choreographed by Mossad in connivance with local agencies with ulterior motives.

This was even attested by a report published in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Tuesday, which said that Mossad agents would be accompanying the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to Amsterdam.

In a bid to shift public attention away from the Israeli rioters’ provocations in Amsterdam, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the violence as “anti-Semitic pogroms” during a call with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.

This narrative was echoed by leaders from France, Germany, and the United States, who described the Dutch citizens' reactions to the hooligans as “anti-Semitism.”

“I strongly condemn these unacceptable acts. Antisemitism has absolutely no place in Europe. We are determined to fight all forms of hatred,” stated Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, on X, aligning her comments with Netanyahu’s claims.

Reinforcing this perspective, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) also released a statement, condemning the violence in Amsterdam and blaming local people for it.

Western media outlets followed the same line, framing the hooligans as victims and portraying anti-war campaigners as rabble-rousers, thus distorting facts about what actually unfolded there.

British public broadcaster BBC headlined its coverage of the event as “Amsterdam mayor condemns hit-and-run attacks on Israeli football supporters.”

The report included a press conference featuring Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, along with a note from Europe Digital Editor Paul Kirby, who stated, “We're now closing our live page on the violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in the heart of the Dutch capital.”

It failed to adequately address the provocations instigated by the Israeli mobs in Amsterdam.

BBC placed disproportionate emphasis on the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, portraying them as victims while downplaying their provocations that triggered clashes and violence.

Sources quoted and the language used both reflected a bias that softened the portrayal of the Maccabi supporters' behavior, while applying harsher terminology to describe the reaction they faced.

American broadcaster CBS titled its report “Israeli soccer fans attacked in Amsterdam, with 5 hospitalized and dozens of suspects arrested,” prominently displaying the words “ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS IN AMSTERDAM” on the wall behind the anchor.

The report included a statement from US President Joe Biden, who condemned the event as “despicable," taking a cue from other Western leaders as well as Netanyahu.

While the coverage featured a so-called witness account detailing the incidents involving the Israeli hooligans, it notably lacked perspectives from Dutch citizens.

This omission contributed to a one-sided narrative that emphasized the Israeli perspective without adequately addressing the reactions of the local Dutch community.

CNN, like many other mainstream media outlets, presented a notably one-sided narrative regarding the events in Amsterdam, blaming it on local Dutch people who resisted the vandalism of Israeli settlers.

The American network provided extensive coverage of the Amsterdam events, complete with detailed footage and witness accounts, while only briefly acknowledging their pro-war and racist remarks.

Under the headline “Amsterdam bans protests for three days following violent attacks on Israeli soccer fans,” CNN reported that Amsterdam has banned demonstrations for three days after "Israeli soccer fans were beaten and injured in violent clashes in the city overnight."

This framing positioned the hooligans as victims of the Amsterdam clashes, neglecting to address their provocations. The report also quoted the Israeli embassy in the United States, claiming that hundreds of Maccabi fans “were ambushed and attacked.”

CNN’s emphasis on Maccabi fans’ victimhood further obscured the context of the Amsterdam clashes.

NBC titled its report on the incidents as “Israeli soccer fans attacked in Amsterdam”.

The anchor set the tone by emphasizing a “horrific attack against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam,” quoting the local mayor who stated that the (Israeli) fans were targeted “because they are Jewish.”

Thereafter, NBC correspondent Meagan Fitzgerald provided an overview of the incidents, focusing on the reactions of Dutch people rather than the actions of Israeli football hooligans.

She concluded her report by quoting Biden, who characterized the incident as “despicable.”

NBC’s reporting approach concentrated heavily on the victimization of Israeli fans while offering no context regarding the events that triggered the violence, especially the actions of Israeli hooligans.

The Associated Press, an American news agency, titled its report on the incidents as “Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam. The violence was condemned as anti-Semitic.”

The story quoted Dutch authorities stating that “Israeli fans were assaulted after a soccer game in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently riled up by calls on social media to target Jewish people.”

In its coverage, the AP employed strong language, while describing incidents linked to the unrest.

“Reports of antisemitic speech, vandalism, and violence have been on the rise in Europe since the start of the war in Gaza," the report stated.

This framing attempted to contextualize the Amsterdam riot within the broader scope of the Gaza war, potentially diverting attention from the provocations initiated by the Israeli hooligans and portraying the events in a manner that emphasized the anti-Semitic nature of the incident while downplaying the Israeli mob provocations.

The New York Times, aligning with the narrative presented by other Western media outlets, published a report titled “Antisemitic Attacks Prompt Emergency Flight for Israeli Soccer Fans.”

The article primarily focused on the “safety” of the Israeli hooligans, emphasizing the need for their safety and protection in the wake of violence they fueled themselves.

Throughout the report, the language used sought to frame the actions against the Israeli Maccabi fans as rooted in anti-Semitism, thereby portraying the hooligans as victims.

The portrayal obscured the provocations of the Israeli mobs that contributed to the clashes, reinforcing a narrative that prioritized their safety.

In contrast to many mainstream media outlets, Sky News initially prepared a report that highlighted the provocations by the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, including their “racist and anti-Arab songs.”

However, the network subsequently deleted the video featuring their Amsterdam correspondent.

The move raised questions about editorial decisions and the representation of the events in the UK free-to-air television with netizens slamming the network for succumbing to Zionist pressure.

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