French authorities take action against left-wing lawmaker over post on Amsterdam violence

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) — France's interior minister said Tuesday that he referred to judicial authorities a left-wing lawmaker's social media post on violent disturbances related to a soccer match in Amsterdam last week.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau alleged that the post "glorifying offenses against individuals" after Marie Mesmeur pushed back on claims that Israeli fans involved in the violence were "lynched ... because they were Jewish."

"These people were not lynched because they were Jewish, but because they were racist and supported genocide," Mesmeur, a member of France's National Assembly for the France Unbowed (La France Insoumise, or LFI) party, said on X.

She was responding to a post by France's Communist Party Secretary Fabien Roussel, who had condemned the violence against the Israeli fans, saying they were "chased, threatened, and lynched in the streets of a European city because they were Jewish. This growing hatred is intolerable. The perpetrators must be arrested and face justice for such monstrosity."

The incidents in Amsterdam unfolded last Friday after Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters clashed with locals following their team’s match against Ajax Amsterdam. According to Channel 12, a left-wing Israeli news broadcaster, tensions flared when Israeli supporters removed a Palestinian flag from a building and provoked Arab-origin Dutch taxi drivers.

Footage circulating on social media showed large groups of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans chanting slogans against Arabs and Palestinians. Earlier, before the match began, Israeli fans had already angered Dutch supporters by disrupting a minute of silence held to honor the victims of devastating floods in Spain. They set off fireworks during the solemn observance.

Interior Minister Retailleau labeled Mesmeur’s remarks as a violation of Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, categorizing it as “glorifying offenses against individuals.” He confirmed that the tweet had been reported to the Paris Prosecutor.

"Unapologetic and rampant antisemitism is making a dangerous return," Retailleau said in an address to lawmakers. "It takes two forms: radical Islamism and the exploitation of the Palestinian cause for political gain," he added.

"The events in Amsterdam, the city of Anne Frank, are deeply disturbing. Jews were targeted for who they are, not for what they did. This is the essence of antisemitism. That is why I filed a report on the LFI MP's tweet, which justified such violence. This is indefensible. France and the Republic cannot and will not tolerate such behavior."

Amsterdam police have reported 63 arrests and five Israelis requiring brief hospitalization in the unrest. In response, Israel organized emergency flights to bring its citizens home.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema confirmed in a news conference that Israeli fans had been attacked, stating that they were beaten and kicked by groups of individuals targeting them.