"Make us proud" (Photo- De Stentor)
-Photo: De Gelderlander
On the evening of April 14 in Arnhem, Netherlands, fans of the Arnhem soccer team, Vitesse, held a pep rally on the historic John Frost Bridge, immortalized by "A Bridge too far". The rally was part of the run-up to that Sunday's big match against the Ajax team of Amsterdam. As historical background, the Ajax team is affectionally nicknamed, "the Jews" due to Amsterdam's history as a place of refuge for Jews. Unfortunately, in recent years, certain soccer fans have used that backdrop to chant anti-Semitic slogans about Jews at Ajax matches.
So it was Wednesday night when some of the fans who gathered on the bridge began shouting anti-Semitic slogans, most notably, "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas!" and raising their arms in Hitler salutes. The below news report from De Stentor is translated by Fousesquawk.
Anti-Jewish cries at (rally) by Vitesse fans leading up to match with Ajax: Police conduct investigation
The police in Arnhem have begun an investigation after a group of Vitesse supporters chanted anti-Jewish slogans Wednesday evening on a bridge in Arnhem
Marco Bauman April 15, 2021, 11:45. Latest update: April 15-2021 11:54
During a (rally) involving the hanging of an enormous banner in the run-up to the cup finale (between) Ajax-Vitesse, there were shouts of "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas".
On video images (see below, shared by Instagram) of the rally can clearly be heard chants directed against the Jewish background of the Amsterdam soccer club.
It is not the first (time) that the chorus of the Arnhem fans has been chanted. In 2018 it was heard during a Premier Division match between Vitesse-Ajax. The Arnhem club then placed a stadium ban on 6 fans.
The chorus has been reported to the police. They are now calling on witnesses to the action on Wednesday to report to the police. "The fight against discrimination has a high priority. Therefore, we will further investigate this matter," says a spokesperson. We are very dependent on information we receive from the public."
-Maurits Straatman:
"Beautiful fireworks display today by fans of Vitesse. You can be proud of that. What also happened was the mass of chants, "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas" was chanted. As Vitesse fans and Arnhemmers, you cannot be proud of that." (April 14, 1:07pm)
-Vitesse
"Make us proud. Show them who we are" (April 14, 1:08 pm).
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Fousesquawk comment: To their credit, the president of the Vitesse team, Pascal van Wijk, has condemned what occurred as has the mayor of Arnhem, Ahmed Marcouch, who happens to be Muslim. Marcouch has subsequently met with Jewish leaders to offer his support.
*Update: We are working on a video of the event in which the chanting is clearly heard. We will have English sub-titles up as soon as possible.
Here it is:
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