DayofPal– Femke Halsema, the Mayor of Amsterdam, has expressed regret for using the term “pogrom” in reference to the violence that erupted in the city on the night of November 7-8 after Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv attacked locals, a situation that sparked national headlines.
Speaking on Dutch news program Nieuwsuur on Sunday, Halsema admitted that, in hindsight, she would not have used the term “pogrom” to describe the incidents.
Halsema explained that her initial intention was to convey the deep fear and distress experienced by Jewish Amsterdammers. However, she acknowledged that the word “pogrom” became politicized in the days following her remarks.
“The Israeli government referred to a ‘Palestinian pogrom on the streets of Amsterdam,’ while in The Hague, the term was used to discriminate against Moroccan Amsterdammers and Muslims,” she said. “That was never my intention, nor did I want it to be used in that way.”
The mayor also expressed regret for not more explicitly addressing the attacks of Maccabi supporters during her initial statement.
Reflecting on her earlier remarks, Halsema noted that she was under immense national and international pressure and did not have a complete understanding of the events at the time.
The day after the Israeli attacks, Halsema had stated that she could “understand how these events could evoke memories of pogroms.”
During an emergency debate in the Amsterdam city council on November 12, she defended her initial statement, saying, “I stand by the facts, but I also have a moral duty to interpret them, and that is what I did.”
Looking back, Halsema expressed mixed feelings about the press conference held alongside Chief Public Prosecutor René de Beukelaer and Police Chief Peter Holla. She lamented that, given the limited information available at the time, she had not adequately acknowledged the actions of Israeli Maccabi hooligans who started the violence.
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