Amsterdam mayor survives no-confidence vote in City Council debate over recent riots
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema survived a vote on a motion of no confidence during an emergency debate in City Council on Tuesday. The motion was filed by far-right party Ja21, which is represented by two of the Council's 45 members. None of the other parties 12 political factions supported the measure during the debate into the violence and tumult surrounding the Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv football match last week. All parties voted unanimously in favor of a motion to demand that the Ministry of Justice and Security allocate more police officers in Amsterdam after years of complaints about understaffing.
Everything around the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv was tumultuous. On Monday, Halsema sent a breakdown of events to the city council, revealing that the authorities considered banning the match altogether because of previous incidents.
Last Wednesday, there were social media posts expressing aggression and threats against Maccabi supporters. Activists spray-painted pro-Palestinian graffiti at the Ajax stadium. Later, Maccabi fans pulled a Palestine flag off a facade in the city center. Some from this group also vandalized several taxis, resulting in taxi drivers urging each other online to mobilize. The city authorities ultimately let the match happen, partly because there were already many football supporters in the city and they didn’t want to cause unrest.
On Thursday, the day of the match, there were many violent incidents in the city. Israelis were chased and assaulted by small groups of rioters in various places in the city. Anti-Semitic insults can be heard in videos of the incidents. There is also footage of Maccabi supporters instigating violence against Amsterdam locals. The police gathered a large group of Israeli supporters and took them to their hotel by bus, for their protection.
An estimated 35 people were injured, five of whom were hospitalized for the night. The police arrested 62 people during the riots and another six in the days that followed. At least ten suspects were from Israel and 49 from the Netherlands.
Police confirm "Jew hunt" rumors; Mayor defends "pogrom" remarks
During the Council meeting, Amsterdam Police Chief Peter Holla confirmed that some police officers did hear rumors from various sources about a jodenjacht, or "Jew hunt." However, he added that this was largely second- or third-hand information deemed unreliable, and seemed more like it was about the prospect of clashes between a narrower group.
Because of the apparent anti-Semitic nature of the attack, Halsema referred to it as a new pogrom against the Jews, particularly as it happened the same week as the 80th anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom in Nazi Germany. She was criticized by Denk party leader Sheher Khan, who stated during the Council meeting, "What has happened in recent days is bad enough. If you use pogrom, you are exaggerating it."
"I support that and I will not take that back," Halsema retorted. "I value the facts, but I also have to interpret morally. And that is what I have done."
That said, she was also repulsed by the behavior of Maccabi supporters, whose chants and songs promoting genocide in the Gaza Strip was "disgusting, shocking and deeply hurtful." That said, she reiterated her stance that this was "no excuse" for the violence that followed.
More police needed in Amsterdam moving forward
Holla said he was frustrated that not everyone could be protected even if "a lot of misery was prevented. He noted that the violence against the visitors used a "hit-and-run" method where assailants quickly fled the scene, often on scooters. The police leader believes the tactic needs more attention, and needs to be better addressed within the police department.
Holla, who has only been in his current position for two months, said the police deployment of 1,200 officers on Thursday and Friday was among the largest in the capital in recent memory. This indicated a problem of capacity in general, argued Halsema. "We've reached our limit," she said during the debate.
The mayor thinks its time for the national governing coalition of far-right and right-wing parties to "put their money where their mouth is," and show support for hiring more police officers. The far-right party in the coalition, the PVV, has been especially critical of Halsema over the years, and has been part of the Cabinet since this summer for the first time in a decade. The four-party coalition has spoken out about the need to better police the country, but faces a wide-range of budgetary issues next year.
Criticisms of police not warranted, Halsema argues
The police response was also criticized locally by Halsema's GroenLinks party colleague, Council Member Imane Nadif. She alleged that police did not do enough to address provocative actions by Maccabi supporters. De Vonk party member Nilab Ahmadi questioned why Maccabi supporters were allowed into the capital at all despite violent incidents reported in Athens.
De Vonk went further to allege that the police acted heavy-handed, and even violently, when responding to the rioting after the football match. It was this suggestion which clearly angered Halsema.
"I also hear criticism here and there about the police, like they stood around and watched, or they acted too harshly. I reject that entirely. Anyone with criticism should come to me, and not to those people who worked incredibly hard," Halsema said.
Council backs Halsema, but worries about Cabinet's push towards more polarization
The six-hour long debate came to a close with Halsema winning the vote about whether she should remain in her job. It was already clear earlier in the day that she continued to hold the support of her own GroenLinks, as well as the PvdA and D66. The three parties hold a majority on the Council and fill the aldermen positions in the local coalition government. It was not known early on whether Halsema would also command the support of a wide range of opposition parties.
Some of those voting for Halsema also saw this as a protest vote against the right-wing national government, which has been accused in centrist and left-wing circles of fanning the flames of polarization by focusing on the racial and ethnic background of those who attacked the Israelis and Jews. "We support our mayor in terms of content, because she acted correctly under the facts and circumstances that were known to her during the riots. But we as the Amsterdam City Council also do not want to feed into the radical right-wing games of the Cabinet by sending Halsema away," one Council member anonymously told Nu.nl after the vote.
Both Prime Minister Dick Schoof and PVV leader Geert Wilders have made repeated statements about whether the perpetrators can be integrated into Dutch society, with Wilders pushing the idea of stripping people of citizenship, or banishing them from the country. "We do not wish Wilders and Schoof to have popping champagne corks," the Council member said.
David van Weel, from the right-wing VVD, is the current Minister of Justice and Security. As such, he has final say over the national police budget. PVV member Ingrid Coenradie serves as one of the ministry's state secretaries, with oversight over crisis management plans and integration policy. Teun Struycken, from right-wing start-up party NSC, is the second state secretary at the ministry, and can affect policy change with laws regarding nationality, youth and adult crime prevention, and recidivism.
Amsterdam to remain under an emergency order for now
Since the rioting, the Amsterdam authorities implemented an emergency decree, banning demonstrations, disallowing face-covering clothing, and giving the police more power to perform preventive actions and stops to restore calm in the city. Nevertheless, the weekend was also filled with unrest. The police identified multiple anti-Semitic incidents in the city and received signals of calls to riot shared online.
On Sunday, the police arrested over 50 people at a banned pro-Palestine demonstration on Dam Square. On Monday, the riot police had to intervene in Nieuw-West, where a tram caught fire. A witness reported that many “young people on scooters” were setting off “very heavy fireworks.” The police warned that more rioting could take place on Tuesday.
