Palestinian rapper thanks perpetrators of Amsterdam pogrom for ‘taking care of business’

‘It’s not the first time that they (Israelis) come to a land that’s not theirs and start some shit. So thank you for taking care of business.’

By Shiryn Ghermezian, The Algemeiner

Palestinian rapper Saint Levant praised the recent violent antisemitic attacks targeting Israelis in Amsterdam during his performance in the Dutch city last week, before further taunting pro-Israel supporters by posting on social media more brazen applause for the violence that has been described as a “pogrom” targeting Jews.

The rapper, whose real name is Marwan Abdelhamid, performed on Nov. 12 at the concert hall and club Paradiso Amsterdam. His sold-out concert took place a few days after fans of the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv were run over by cars, beat up, and chased with knives, rocks, and sticks in Amsterdam by Arab and Muslim gangs, who also shouted anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian slogans. The violence took place during the early hours of Nov. 8 following a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and their Dutch rivals Ajax.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon called the violence a “pogrom,” while Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the “hit-and-run” antisemitic attacks were a “poisonous cocktail” of antisemitism and hooligan actions. On the social media platform Telegram, users talked about going on a “Jew hunt,” Halsema said.

Hard-right Dutch political leader Geert Wilders, from the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, blamed “Moroccans who want to destroy Jews” for the attacks. Wilders gave no evidence for his claims, but in videos shared from the violence, some of the attackers could be heard speaking Moroccan Arabic and Berber languages native to Morocco, according to NBC News. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof merely said the attackers have an “immigration background.” Dutch Police and prosecutors have not revealed the identities of anyone who has been arrested in connection to the attacks.

The Network Contagion Research Institute published an analysis of open-source intelligence and social media showing that the violence against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam was a premeditated and coordinated attack orchestrated with extremist networks linked to a former employee of the controversial United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Sometime during his set at Paradiso Amsterdam on Nov. 12, Saint Levant stopped to address the audience and talk to them about the violence targeting Israelis in the city. “Quick little shoutout to our Moroccan brothers for what they did the other day,” he told the crowd. “Because it’s not the first time that they come to a land that’s not theirs and start some shit. So thank you for taking care of business.”

His comments drew attention from Israeli social media influencer and activist Hen Mazzig, who posted a video on TikTok of Levant making the remarks on stage and accused him of promoting “gross anti-Jewish rhetoric.” On Sunday, Saint Levant shared on his Instagram Story a repost of Mazzig’s video and again reiterated his support for the violence targeting Israelis. The rapper told Mazzig, “keep crying,” and wrote “Thank you Morocco.”

“israelis [sic] go around chanting ‘death to Arabs’ and think they’re not gonna get beat up?” he added.

Born in Jerusalem during the Second Intifada, Saint Levant’s mother is French-Algerian and his father, an architect/entrepreneur, is Serbian-Palestinian, according to the rapper’s website. He spent 10 years growing up in Gaza and is currently based in Los Angeles, California. In early 2024, Levant signed with Universal Arabic Music label, which is founded by Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, manager of the Weeknd and CEO of The Weeknd’s record label XO.

In an Instagram post, Paradiso Amsterdam hailed Saint Levant’s performance at its venue last week. The hall wrote in a Dutch-language post that the rapper “took his audience on a journey of music, connection, and solidarity.”