Five found guilty in Amsterdam riots after Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv football match
The first five men brought to trial for rioting in Amsterdam that targeted Israeli and Jewish football fans were found guilty on various charges related to the violence. The District Court in Amsterdam handed out sentences of up to six months in prison when the verdict was read on Tuesday morning, far lower than prosecutors recommended during their rapid trials earlier this month. In the Netherlands, both prosecutors and defendants have up to 14 days to decide whether to appeal a criminal verdict and sentence.
The rioting began after the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 7, and continued into the early morning hours the following day. Anti-Semitic slurs and broad calls to violence were shared on various social media channels in the run-up to the match, following various incidents involving some Maccabi hooligans in the capital earlier in the week.
Three of the suspects were convicted on Tuesday for acts of violence. The other two suspects were found guilty of making statements on social media and sharing information that contributed to the shocking violence. Of the five convictions, three were also be determined to be motivated, at least in part, by a call to see a result of Jews victimized by assault.
Even though the sentences were all lower than prosecutor recommendations, the court also said that the sentences imposed were generally stricter than under normal circumstances. “In assessing the accusations, the court took into account the context in which the facts took place. However, the court emphasises that this context offers no justification for calling for and using physical violence against the Israeli supporters who were guests in Amsterdam for a football match. Nor does it justify the insults that were uttered,” the court said.
Sefa Ö. sentenced to 6 months in jail, well below demand of 2 years
The court handed Sefa Ö., a six-month sentence including the time he has spent in pre-trial detention, though prosecutors had demanded a two-year sentence with the possibility of suspending six months on probation. Video footage showed the 32-year-old waiting to attack Maccabi supporters on Dam Square at about midnight.
The court was shown footage of Ö kicking one victim in the head. He was also alleged to have used a flying kick to send another into a tram, and then beating that person while they were on the ground. The court heard accusations that Ö also chased down two others before assaulting them, and that he pushed another victim.
"The 32-year-old man has no previous convictions for criminal offences. Usually, 'first offenders' of public violence are given a community service order. However, given the seriousness of the facts and the context in which they took place, the court is of the opinion that a prison sentence is the only appropriate punishment," the court wrote in a statement.
Ö. is a barber in Amsterdam who has been living in the Netherlands since he was nine years old. The prosecutor said investigators do not believe he was motivated by hatred of Jews, but rather anger over Israel’s relentless war in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack.
Rachid O. to spend 10 weeks in prison; Prosecutors called for 6 months
Rachid O. was ordered to spend 10 weeks in prison, though prosecutors wanted him jailed for six months with the possibility of serving three on probation. The 26-year-old Utrecht man was accused of being complicit in public by violence, incitement, and hate speech against Jews as a group for remarks he posted in a WhatsApp chat group where some of the attacks were coordinated.
“You shared locations, you shared your own location and shared photos of a phone you stole. And you were active and said there was a good chance of hitting 'cancer Jews,'” the prosecutor said, referring to the use of diseases in Dutch slang to from a vulgar slur. The Utrecht man's messages were "undeniably a contribution to the violence," the public prosecutor said. These include statements like, "I may never get this chance to hit cancer Jews again."
The court ruled that he participated in the WhatsApp chat group specifically to provide information that could help others commit violence against Jews, people of Jewish descent, and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters. The court said he did so deliberately, and that it either caused or increased the chance of violence against Jews in particular.
"The 26-year-old man from Utrecht also made insulting remarks towards Jews, and is therefore guilty of group insult. The court considers that community service is usually imposed for similar acts. However, given the seriousness of the acts and the context in which they took place, the court finds that a prison sentence is the only appropriate punishment," the court said.
O. defended his statements by saying that he was really asking about the location of Maccabi supporters when he was making statements about Jews. “You call Feyenoord supporters 'cockroaches,' you call Maccabi supporters 'Jews.' Those are football terms,” he claimed. He added that he felt frustrated after seeing videos of Maccabi supporters pulling Palestine flags off buildings in Amsterdam.
His attorneys had also argued that the intercepted WhatsApp chat messages were were not properly obtained, and that prosecutors did not have a case if the messages were considered inadmissible.
Umutcan A. sentenced to a month in jail, but prosecutors wanted 8 months
Umutcan A. from The Hague was ordered to serve a month in jail. Prosecutors wanted him incarcerated for eight months, with the possibility of suspending three. He was accused of kicking a Maccabi fan in the face and stealing his scarf during a fight on Damrak. Deleted messages recovered from his phone included those from a friend who praised him for “beating up Jews” saying that “Umut was the star of the night again,” the prosecutor said in court. A friend asked what happened, and A. replied “Jew hunt.”
"With a group of several men, he attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters on the Damrak. When one of the victims was on the ground, he kicked him several times. He then kicked another person who was also on the ground," the court wrote in a statement.
"The court considers that community service orders are usually imposed on 'first offenders' for committing public violence. However, given the seriousness of the facts and the context in which they took place, the court is of the opinion that a prison sentence is the only appropriate punishment."
“It is not without reason that certain words are punishable. I also heard suspects say yesterday that they do not hate Jews. Nevertheless, the words are said. They contribute to anti-Semitism and the condoning of it,” the prosecutor in the case said.
A. said he was reacting "out of fear" and as a "stupid reflex" by attacking the Maccabi supporter. He later threw the scarf away. His mother later found it. “The worst thing I find is that my mother recognized me,” he said about his photo on Opsporing Verzocht. That is “one of the things” A. finds most troubling.
Karavan S. sentenced to month in prison
Karavan S. was also ordered to serve a month in prison, matching prosecutors' demands in duration, but without any chance of probation. The 26-year-old also allegedly shared messages in a WhatsApp group about the location of Maccabi fans, and details about their flights back to Israel. Prosecutors noted he referred to the football fans as "those Jews," and said the location data was key in causing violence against the victims.
S. and Rachid O. were guilty of aiding and abetting violence, the court said. "They did this by participating in a WhatsApp group and providing information to commit violence against people of Jewish descent and/or supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv. The court holds it against the men that they deliberately contributed to increasing (possible) violent behavior against Jews with their messages," the court wrote. His sentence is considered by the court to be longer than
Because of the apparent anti-Semitic motivation to his statements, the prosecutor demanded he serve a jail sentence. He said he regretted his participation in the group chat, and had not thought about the consequences.
He was accused of participating in Snapchat conversations used to incite violence, and being part of a group trying to break through a police defense line on Anton de Komplein in Amsterdam-Zuidoost.
Lucas D. gets community service only; prosecutors wanted a 6-month jail sentence
A 19-year-old suspect, Lucas D. from Monnickendam, was ordered to serve 100 hours of community service. While he was convicted under criminal procedures meant for juvenile suspects, prosecutors wanted him to spend six months in prison with the possibility of serving three on probation.
D. was accused of participating in Snapchat conversations in which statements inciting violence were made. The prosecutor said intercepted messages show him referring to Maccabi supporters as "Jews," "cancer Zionists," and "cancer Jews." In Dutch, using the names of diseases, like kanker, or "cancer," add a particularly vulgar edge to the noun which follows.
"The man did not provide an explanation for his behaviour. The court can therefore not determine whether discrimination was the underlying cause. It is clear, however, that he sent discriminatory messages in a chat group. The court is taking this into account as an aggravating circumstance," the court wrote in a statement.
"Due to his young age, the advice of the probation service and the treatment at the hearing, the court considers it important to apply juvenile criminal law."
D. was also believed to be part of a group of around 150 men who tried to break through a line established by riot police officers on the Anton de Komplein in Amsterdam-Zuidoost One police officer testified to say D. threw two rocks at police vehicles, before the same officer photographed him holding an object in his hand.
Investigators said this was a stone, but the suspect claimed it was clay that he picked up for no reason before dropping it. When searched, D. was found in possession of a powerful Cobra 6 firecracker.
"In juvenile criminal law, the starting point for public violence is the imposition of community service. The court also takes into account that the facts, unlike the other suspects in the investigation, took place in the atmosphere of football hooligan violence prior to the match. The court imposes a heavy community service order of 100 hours, minus pre-trial detention," the court said.
