An antisemitic street gang has physically attacked and repeatedly harassed Dutch Jewish man since 2020, but victim says no arrest have been made.
By World Israel News Staff
A Jewish man from Holland spoke out about violent antisemitic harassment he has received for the past two years, and what he says is a lack of action on the part of the Dutch authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Kevin Ritstier, 34, told that Dutch newspaper de Gelderlander that he has been targeted by an antisemitic street gang, primarily a group of between seven and 15 young men, in his hometown of Wijchen in eastern Holland.
Ritstier said the harassment began after the men spotted Ritstier returning home from a Bar Mitzvah clad in a kippah [Jewish head covering] and Tallit [Jewish prayer shawl].
Since then, they have taunted him with antisemitic remarks, including “Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas, [and] cancer Jew,” physically attacked him, and pounded on the front door of his home, where he lives with his wife and infant son.
After one attack, Ritsier said his leg was slashed and he was left with bruising and a split lip after being ambushed by the gang.
According to Ritstier, despite repeatedly phoning the police and filing a formal complaint after each incident of verbal and physical intimidation and harassment, his reports had resulted in the culprits receiving one fine and one “stop conversation,” in which the officers essentially told the perpetrators to knock it off.
Ritstier added that in one incident, the police subtly admonished him, as though his reporting the harassment was a burden to the authorities. “I was told that I called very often,” he said.
He noted that none of the perpetrators have been criminally prosecuted for the ongoing harassment, and that the police had told him it was due to a “lack of evidence.”
In a statement to de Gelderlander, the police said that they had always taken Ritstier’s requests “very seriously,” and said they couldn’t comment on the details of his situation due to privacy concerns.