Three sentenced to jail, community service for Plein '40-'45 riots in Amsterdam

The court in Amsterdam handed out jail sentences of up to seven months for suspects involved in the riots on Plein ’40-’45 in Amsterdam last November. The unrest in Amsterdam-West followed the violence that occurred around the football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv earlier that week.

The highest punishment was given to Adam A. The 20-year-old was found guilty of assault, throwing stones, and using wooden beams as a weapon. In addition to his role in the riots, he was also sentenced for possession of drugs.

Fellow suspect Hicham El M. (21) was given a five-month jail sentence, which is a month more than prosecutors had recommended. He assaulted a police officer and threw rocks at a bus with passengers on it. The court stated that he had a “strong and active” role in the riots.

18-year-old Burak Ö. was given a community service sentence of 120 hours and a conditionally suspended month in youth detention, which is equal to the prosecutor’s recommendation. He was part of a group of dozens of boys who assaulted a man. “There were large-scale riots with enormous impact, and you did not go unpunished," the judge told Ö., who was the only one who attended the verdict.

The court said that the violence was “very serious and harmful.” One eyewitness said it “looked like war” on the square. Passengers who were on the bus that was hit by rocks feared for their lives. “Crimes like this strengthen the existing feeling of unrest, fear, insecurity,” the court said.

El M. and A. also have to pay 63,000 euros in damage compensation. The 18-year-old will pay 4,000 euros in damage.

The violence on November 11 came days after the incidents surrounding the Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv match. The evening started with heavy fireworks being set off. A group of around 130 people caused destruction in the area. They were mainly dressed in black, some with their face partly covered.

A fire was set at a restaurant, and a fire broke out in a tram after an explosive was thrown inside. The mobile unit was deployed to restore peace.