Anger and great sadness: the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) reacts with horror to the anti-Semitic chants that were said to have been sung yesterday by football supporters in a subway on their way to the Johan Cruijff Arena. “We are completely back to square one. A terrible shame so soon after May 4 and 5,” responds Naomi Mestrum, director of the Jewish interest group. According to her, the supporters sang lyrics such as ‘Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas’.
The police detained more than 150 football supporters yesterday for singing the anti-Semitic lyrics. According to the police, these are supporters of AZ, who were on their way to the Johan Cruijff Arena for the match against Ajax.
So, among other things, “Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas” would have been sung. The police do not want to confirm that, but say that it is about more than the ‘Jews, Jews’ that can be heard regularly around Ajax matches.
The supporters would have been warned several times and asked to stop singing the discriminatory lyrics. They did not heed that. When they continued to sing, their subway was stopped and the large group was arrested. The supporters were transferred to the cell complex.
‘Very bitter’
The Jewish interest organization calls the sung songs ‘very painful’. “It is bitter that on May 4 we shout ‘never again’ and a little later exactly what happened to the Jews during World War II is called,” says Mestrum.
“Painful for victims, for relatives, for everyone. We should not think that the war was something prehistoric. It was relatively recent that it took place. That is why this is disgusting and very sad. There is still no realization of what happened during the war.”
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‘This is very alive’
Although Mestrum is currently on holiday abroad, she has not had any rest today. Her mailbox is therefore overflowing. “That shows what a blow this is for us. This is very much alive among the Jewish community. Fortunately, we receive a lot of support.”
“We cannot and must no longer accept such chants in the future”
Mestrum is happy with last night’s quick police action. “A tit-for-tat policy is now being carried out on these kinds of abuses. The police will immediately take adequate action. Hopefully this will have an enormous warning effect: don’t let this happen again. Never again. We can and must have such chants in the accept the future.”
Group insult
Police say the supporters have been arrested for group insult. In addition, they would have committed multiple vandalism. Photos and videos show that several windows of a bus have been demolished, and the metro system is also said to have suffered considerable damage.
The police cannot yet say how the supporters have been punished and how many of them have since been released.
AZ condemns chants
AZ also distances itself from the hurtful chants. “AZ rejects and condemns that a small part of the supporters uttered hurtful chants on the way to the stadium on Saturday evening,” the club writes on the site. “The club strongly disapproves of inflammatory behavior and discrimination in any form and strongly distances itself from those who are guilty of it.”
The club also says that it will await the investigation of the police and the judiciary. “AZ will logically provide all cooperation that is requested.”