Amsterdam mayor backtracks on 'pogrom' remark after post-match violence

Amsterdam's mayor, Femke Halsema, has reconsidered her previous use of the term 'pogrom' to describe Israeli hooliganism and clashes between Israeli fans and pro-Palestinian demonstrators on November 7.

“If I had known it would be weaponised in this way, I would not have used that word,” she told Dutch broadcaster NPO on Sunday, acknowledging her regret over the term’s unintended implications.

A wave of violence erupted on November 7 in Amsterdam when supporters of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv stormed through the city, tearing down Palestinian flags on private property and chanting incendiary slogans, according to reports.

Halsema criticised Israel’s swift reaction to the clashes, stating her administration was overwhelmed by the sudden international attention.

“We were completely caught off guard by Israel,” she said. “At 3 am, (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu was already giving a lecture about what happened in Amsterdam, while we were still gathering the facts.”

Halsema expressed frustration with how Israeli officials and domestic politicians used her comments to frame the violence as targeted attacks on Israelis.

She described this as "propaganda" and emphasised that the term "pogrom," which she used in a press conference, had been manipulated to serve political agendas.

'A racist club'

The mayor also criticised the failure of local security services to anticipate the violence, saying the authorities had no prior warning about potential provocations from Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters.

She said although they were prepared for possible tensions, she did not know Maccabi fans are known as ultra-nationalists.

“That information was not known to me...The story of a racist club was never properly told to me,” she said.

Halsema called for an impartial inquiry to determine how events unfolded so poorly.

On the night of the incidents the Israeli government quickly portrayed the events as attacks on Israelis, despite the initial confrontations involving Maccabi supporters.