Jewish man, 77, assaulted in The Hague; Possible link to pro-Palestinian rally scuffle
A 77-year-old Jewish man was followed and assaulted on the street in The Hague on Saturday. The police arrested three suspects. The victim thinks his attackers recognized him from a confrontation he had with pro-Palestine protesters at a sit-in at The Hague Central Station on October 7, he told the Telegraaf.
According to the man, called “Ben” by the newspaper, four men followed him when he got onto a tram headed to Scheveningen from The Hague Central Station on Saturday. When he exited the tram, three men followed him across the street, making hissing noises and confronting him. They followed him for around 20 minutes, he said
“Suddenly I heard footsteps and got a huge smack on my neck and my head. They shouted things like ‘kankerjood’ and ‘Zionist.’” The word, kankerjood, is a portmanteau of the Dutch terms for “cancer” and “Jew,” forming an anti-Semitic slur.
“I’m not used to running away. I turned around and they left. They sped off toward the beach and I immediately called the police. They had found them within half an hour.”
Ben believes the men recognized him from a confrontation he had with pro-Palestine protesters at The Hague Central Station on October 7. A sit-in took place at the station and Ben went with his Israeli flag to offer a counter-protest.
According to the newspaper, video footage shows Ben waiving an Israeli flag as the sit-in demonstrators chanted slogans like “free Palestine.” Two young men insulted Ben and lunged at his flag, while other demonstrators held them back and the police stepped in. On his way out of the station, a demonstrator grabbed Ben’s flag and tried to throw it into the bin, but the police stopped him.
Ben told the Telegraaf that the police suspect his three attackers of premeditated violence. “According to the detectives, the suspects admitted that they recognized me from October 7 at the station. According to them, I insulted the prophet Mohammed there, but that is absolutely not the case.”
The police confirmed to the newspaper that three men were arrested on Saturday and that the arrest was linked to the protest on October 7.
The Central Jewish Consultation (CJO) urged NS director Wouter Koolmens to ban pro-Palestine sit-ins at train stations. “What has now happened is a cause of great concern and leads to great fear within the Jewish community,” said CJO chairman Chanan Hertzberger.
“This event shows that this does not stop at a sit-in but that there is a sequel, namely that anyone who is recognized can later face violence.”