Four more convicted in Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv riots; Amsterdam police seek 122 suspects
Four men were convicted on Wednesday for crimes committed before and after a football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv FC of Israel. The harshest sentence given was the 12-week stint in prison that a 27-year-old man was ordered to serve. The verdict was published the same day it emerged that authorities have 122 suspects in their sights for the riots surrounding the Ajax vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam last November, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) told NOS.
The 122 suspects are accused of involvement in multiple violent incidents on November 6, 7, and 8, both before and after the match between the Amsterdam and Israeli football clubs. Several people were attacked on the street, there was widespread vandalism, and anti-Semitic slurs were uttered.
Out of the 122 allegedly observed committing various crimes, the police have determined the identity of 36. Approximately 10 of them are Maccabi supporters, and the rest seem to be Palestine sympathizers and others who wanted to riot for their own reasons, the OM told NOS.
The District Court in Amsterdam sentenced Cenk D. to 12 weeks in prison for aiding in assault and hate speech. He had participated in a WhatsApp group where he provided information to help others commit violence. He also made insulting remarks about Jewish people, including references to the Holocaust. The court said that these remarks were "extremely hurtful and insulting," and that they contributed to feelings of insecurity and unrest in society.
Mounir M., 32, was handed a six-week sentence for aiding an assault. He was one of the administrators of the WhatsApp group where information was shared to help others commit violence. The court said that he had also made insulting remarks about Jewish people, but could not be convicted of hate speech violations because the specific provision of the law under which he could have been charged was not included in the indictment.
The court also convicted Kamal I., 22, of aiding in assault, sentencing him to a month in prison for participating in the WhatsApp group and sharing information about the location of both Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters and police vehicles. He was acquitted of public violence.
Mohammed B. was found guilty of committing violence in public. The 26-year-old was accused of chasing a Maccabi Tel Aviv supporter and using a belt to make a striking motion towards the victim. Another person then kicked the victim in the leg. The court ruled B. contributed to the violence, and gave him 30 days in prison, including 19 days which were suspended. He will not have to return to jail as he already served 11 days in pre-trial detention, though he will remain on probation for two years.
The court considered the context in which the crimes occurred, but emphasized that this context did not justify the use of physical violence against the Israeli supporters. The court also said that the hate speech and group insults were not justified. The court said that community service orders are usually imposed for the crimes, but that in this case, prison sentences were the only appropriate punishment.
So far, 14 of the identified suspects have stood trial for the riots. Five of them were convicted and given sentences ranging between 100 hours of community service and six months in prison in the first set of hearings. Two more adults and two minor suspects will stand trial soon.
The Public Prosecution Service is still investigating the identity of more possible suspects and victims. Thus far, authorities have dozens of people in focus. “The investigation is still ongoing, but we assume that we now have all the people who committed the most serious violent incidents in our sights,” Mara van den Berg, the press officer for the OM in Amsterdam, told NOS.
About 50 victims have pressed charges in the Netherlands, both against Palestine sympathizers and against Maccabi supporters. Eight reports concern discrimination by the Israeli supporters, the rest are mainly about vandalism and destruction of property.
