A Pogrom in Amsterdam

[Kimstu]

@OldOlds

Over at the BBC, they note that these particular Maccabi fans are noted for this sort of behavior.

@Mikkel

And yes, the Ajax fans did shout antisemitic slogans, but that is what hooligans do.

In fact, we’ve had conversations on this board about the weird phenomenon of Jewish-identity-as-team-mascot among Dutch football fans:

@Kimstu

[…] a sort of pseudo-anti-Semitism repurposed for football (soccer) partisanship, rather than genuine anti-Semitism:

Spring sunshine filled the stadium as the local team, FC Utrecht, kicked off against perennial powerhouse Ajax Amsterdam. […]

“Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas,” sang a section of the home supporters towards the fans visiting from Amsterdam […]

But Ronny Naftaniel, Chairman of the Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund, sought to draw a line between the chants — as insulting as they are — and anti-Semitism. […] he said such insults have more to do with local rivalries than true bigotry. […]

“It’s indeed very shocking what happened at the game between FC Utrecht and Ajax,” he said. […] Of course, it has some deeper roots which go back to the fact that Ajax supporters, they expose themselves as Jews. They walk with flags with the Star of David and they call themselves ‘The Jews.’ So the problem is that then their adversaries act as if Ajax are the Jews and come up with the most insulting slogans.”

“For us Jews, we are disgusted,” he said. “But those people who do those slogans are not Nazis. They are not most of them fundamentalists whatsoever. They are supporters, hard core supporters, of those clubs. […]"

In other words, a bunch of mostly (entirely?) non-Jewish soccer players call their team “The Jews” as an ethnic nickname (sort of like “Redskins” or “Indians” or “Braves” in US sports, or “Gypsies” in Australian cricket). Then that team’s rivals use anti-Semitic/Nazi symbolism and chants to express their antagonism. AFAICT, the whole phenomenon involves few or no actual Jews in any capacity.

It’s definitely offensive, and deeply weird, but anti-Semitism qua anti-Semitism it ain’t.