If we are to believe the messages on X – formerly Twitter – then the Cheese Market in Alkmaar is suddenly a worthless market and the Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar is run by racists. After the problems during the football match between AZ and Legia Warsaw, the municipality of Alkmaar already warned its employees about hate messages from Polish trolls and now it seems that the rest of the city is also taking the turn. “It is very annoying, but in cases like this it often blows over,” says Dr. Ellen Droog, expert in the field of disinformation at the Vrije Universiteit (VU).
After the match in Alkmaar two Legia players were arrested after a fight with a security guard in the AFAS Stadium in Alkmaar. Since then, there has been a lot of criticism from several Polish quarters, including the municipality of Alkmaar and the police. This comes out via the Legia Warsaw club channel and also – in a less nice tone – via X.
“You should always look at who has an interest in such messages”
The messages via X appear to come from so-called trolls. People who post something to provoke or influence, often without their identity being traceable. Droog: “That is why you always have to look at who has an interest in such messages. Sometimes it concerns larger, serious matters such as in Russia, which have to do with the war. Then a so-called troll army is deployed for many messages. people even paid to put things online.”
“I think it is all a bit smaller in this case,” explains the VU researcher from the communication sciences department. “But even here it cannot be ruled out that there is political influence. There are elections coming up in Poland and some parties are not very EU-minded. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that people are criticizing the authorities of another EU country. It cannot be ruled out, but it cannot be said with certainty either.”
On X, Alkmaar mayor Anja Schouten was depicted with a ‘Hitler mustache’ and was called a racist. And the AZ club logo included a swastika. Museums and the Cheese Market were added later were assessed very negatively at once.
Don’t argue
According to Droog, the options for doing something about this are limited. “What you should not do in any case is argue or get into discussions with trolls. That makes no sense. That is precisely what they are after. They only want to provoke and get more attention at that moment.”
“If things are really unacceptable, you must report it to the channel where the statements are made,” says Droog. “You can also file a report, but that probably doesn’t make much sense at the stage this is in. You don’t know who you’re reporting against, the moment will probably pass quickly and it will be difficult to turn it into a real case.”
According to Droog, it can help a little to block the person sending the messages. “In any case, they can no longer respond on your platform. In the case of a football club where many people are on such a platform, this does have an effect. Turning off your channel – as the mayor did – helps. Because you can then do it yourself I don’t encounter it anymore and people can’t say anything about it on your personal channel anymore.”
“As annoying as it is to have to deal with it, in cases like this, the people sending the messages often quickly have something else to focus on and then it is often all over quickly.”
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