Four Individuals Receive Prison Sentences for Violence Against Football Fans in Amsterdam

Four individuals involved in rioting have been given brief prison sentences for acts of violence against football supporters who were in Amsterdam for a Europa League fixture between Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv. Sefa Ö, 32, received the most extensive sentence of six months in jail from the Amsterdam district court, while another man was sentenced to 10 weeks, and two others received one month’s imprisonment apiece. A fifth defendant was assigned a community service requirement under the Netherlands’ juvenile law. The presiding judge stated that incarceration for the four individuals was warranted due to the gravity of their conduct and the circumstances surrounding the events. These disturbances occurred across various parts of the Dutch capital during early November and drew widespread international criticism. The five individuals who received sentences on Tuesday represented the initial group prosecuted for the swift, violent assaults that commenced in the early morning of 8 November, following a series of incidents spanning two days. The tribunal noted the abundance of video evidence depicting Maccabi supporters subjected to severe violence. It also highlighted recordings of fans removing Palestinian flags and uttering anti-Arab slogans. Additionally, taxis were damaged by the supporters. The chairman of the court further mentioned that civil unrest had already been present in the Netherlands due to the conflict in Gaza. Although the court considered “the context” of these occurrences, it declared that there was “no justification for calling for and using physical violence against Israeli supporters”. Sefa Ö was determined to have delivered a karate-style kick to a victim, resulting in that individual falling into a moving tram, in addition to participating in multiple other assaults. During the proceedings, video evidence seemingly depicted him striking and kicking victims at Dam Square, Damrak, and Zoutsteeg. Prosecutors asserted that he assumed a primary role in aggression unrelated to football. Rachid O, 26, sentenced to 10 weeks in prison, was identified as a participant in a WhatsApp chat group named Buurthuis2. Within this group, he described potential targets as “cowardly” Jews whom he would not have another opportunity to assault. Over 900 individuals were members of this group, and the court indicated that the chat served as a conduit for sharing intelligence to “commit violence against people of Jewish descent and/or supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv”. Umutcan A, 24, was also determined to have repeatedly kicked one victim during an assault with other males, subsequently kicking another supporter while they were on the ground. Surveillance camera footage depicted him assaulting multiple Maccabi fans, including grasping one fan by the throat and confiscating their football scarf. He had communicated about a “Jew hunt” in messaging applications but stated during the trial that he did not harbor animosity towards Jewish people. Karanveer S, 26, had a prior conviction for assault in 2022, and the court observed that this did not prevent his involvement in the assaults that occurred last month. Lucas D, 19, the youngest among the five, was found to have employed force against a police officer and participated in a distinct Snapchat group advocating violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters. All five individuals are granted two weeks to lodge an appeal. The court stated that he possessed an illicit, high-explosive “cobra” firework when he was apprehended. Prosecutors had sought a custodial sentence for Lucas D. Chief prosecutor René de Beukelaer had previously dismissed claims that the assaults constituted terrorism, explaining that the group’s objective was not to terrorize their targets. Nevertheless, he acknowledged the presence of antisemitic exchanges within a messaging group. “I can well understand that the Jewish community in Amsterdam was left afraid because of this violence, but that’s different from saying that was the goal of the suspects,” he communicated to Amsterdam’s AT5 TV channel earlier in the current month. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.