Prosecutor: Amsterdam pogrom wasn’t antisemitic or terror

Gaza-born defendant charged with attempted manslaughter is “mentally ill,” claims attorney.

By World Israel News Staff

The lead prosecutor in a criminal case against a perpetrator in the Amsterdam soccer pogrom denied in court that antisemitism was a motivation for the attacks.

The prosecution is seeking two years in prison for a defendant, identified as Sefa O., who played a “leading role” in the widespread violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.

The attack in early November saw mobs of Muslim residents of Amsterdam – primarily of Arab and Turkish origin – targeting Israeli soccer fans who had traveled to the city for a game.

The attackers gleefully posted on social media that they were engaging in a “Jew hunt” and displayed items, such as Israeli passports and cellphones, that they had stolen from their victims.

In videos shown in the courtroom, Sefa O was seen punching Israeli fans, kicking them while they were already on the ground, and chasing additional victims.

While acknowledging that the violent attacks had “little to do with football,” the prosecutor – whose name was not made public – said that the pogrom was not rooted in Jew-hatred.

“In this case, there was no evidence of… a terrorist intent and the violence was not motivated by antisemitic sentiment,” the prosecutor said, according to media reports summarizing his remarks in court.

“The violence was influenced by the situation in Gaza, not by antisemitism,” the prosecutor added.

Another man who appeared in court on Wednesday, identified by Dutch media as Abushabab M., 22, was charged with attempted manslaughter. According to media reports, he was seen sobbing hysterically in the courtroom.

The defendant, who was born in Gaza, had his sentencing delayed because no Arabic-language translator was available.

Speaking to the court, his attorney said that the judge should consider that the defendant grew up in a war zone and “is a young, vulnerable suspect with a life story that cuts to the bone.”

The attorney urged leniency, claiming that Abushabab M. was “most likely suffering from a psychological disorder.”

AmsterdamAmsterdam pogromamsterdam riotsEuropean antisemitismHollandMuslim antisemitism