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The Mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, apologized for remarks she made following the riots that occurred after the football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The Dutch official had previously described the riots in Amsterdam as a “toxic mix of anti-Semitism and hooliganism.” She compared the violence to the “pogrom,” a Russian term referring to violent attacks on Jewish communities in Europe, implying a sense of destruction.
Halsema expressed regret for using this term, clarifying that her intent was to convey the fear and sorrow felt by the local Jewish community. She also condemned the political exploitation of her remarks, particularly by Israeli officials, with the Israeli president sharing her words in a tweet.
“I must say that in the following days I saw how the word pogrom became very political and actually became propaganda. The Israeli government, talking about a Palestinian pogrom in the streets of Amsterdam. In The Hague, the word pogrom is mainly used to discriminate against Moroccan Amsterdammers, Muslims. I didn’t mean it that way. And I didn’t want it that way,” Halsema told Dutch state media on Sunday.
The controversy over her statements sparked a national debate in the Netherlands, especially after they were used by right-wing politicians to attack the Muslim population in the country.
The Amsterdam mayor criticized the misuse of her comments, calling for better management of social tensions in the city and urging national authorities to collaborate constructively. She placed blame on the issue of “integration” as a key factor contributing to the violence in Amsterdam.
The clashes, which erupted after a football match between Ajax and an Israeli team, led to the detention of 45 individuals, including nine Dutch citizens and an unspecified number of Israelis. Police expect to identify more suspects as the investigation continues.
The incident has sparked strong reactions from political leaders, with far-right politician Geert Wilders calling for “racist” measures in response. Wilders has advocated for stripping citizenship from Moroccan-Dutch citizens in response to the violence.
Amsterdam was officially declared to be out of the “danger zone” after the city implemented an emergency law in the wake of the unrest. The law was put into effect as part of efforts to restore order following the violence.
In a separate development, State Secretary for Financial Affairs Nora Achbar, who is of Moroccan descent, resigned from her position after revealing that a government colleague made “racist remarks” during a cabinet meeting last week.
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