The city of Alkmaar targeted by Polish trolls online since AZ-Legia Warsaw riots

Polish trolls recently targeted Alkmaar locations on Google Maps by leaving negative reviews, and some employees of the municipality reported receiving hate messages, NH Nieuws reported on Thursday. This follows incidents from last week's football match between AZ and the Polish club Legia Warsaw. During the Conference League match, riots broke out involving Polish fans, and two Legia players were detained on allegations of assaulting AZ staff inside the stadium after the match.

Local police, prosecutors, the city of Alkmaar, and AZ issued a joint statement after the game condemning both the players and Legia Warsaw supporters. The Polish club vehemently denied any wrongdoing and criticized what they perceived as an anti-Polish bias from Dutch authorities and media. On Wednesday, the club shared a video in which they accused the municipality and police of xenophobia, aggression, and discrimination.

Since the incidents, hotels, museums, and restaurants in Alkmaar have seen a surge in 1-star reviews on Google, sometimes accompanied by negative comments in Polish or English such as “shame” and “no to racism.” The Stedelijk Museum for example received a review stating, “It sucks like everything in this town and in Holland!”

In addition to the negative reviews, hateful comments have flooded social media platforms. The most extreme reactions and images shared on X (formerly Twitter) range from comparisons with Nazism and the Second World War to accusations of racism and xenophobia.

The municipality declared that several employees received annoying and hateful messages, primarily via social media platforms, but also through emails and contact forms from the municipality. The municipality is considering filing a report and encourages those affected to report the messages.