On Tuesday, a court in Amsterdam convicted five people of inciting and attacking Israeli soccer fans that happened in November, AFP reported. The judge emphasized that usually only community service is ordered in such cases, but this time, “considering the seriousness of the crime and the context in which it was committed, only imprisonment is appropriate.”
After the November match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax, the convicts committed a range of crimes, from kicking fans in the street to inciting violence against Israelis in online discussion groups, according to a Dutch court. The court sentenced him to six months to one month of imprisonment and also to 100 hours of community service.
“Only detention is appropriate.”
The judge said that usually people who are accused of such crimes are only sentenced to community service. But on this basis, he said that “considering the seriousness of the crime and the context in which this crime was committed, the court considers only a prison sentence appropriate”.
As the AFP news agency reminds, on the night of November 7-8, fans of the Israeli club were chased and beaten on the streets of Amsterdam. Five people were hospitalized.
That night, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans shouted anti-Arab slogans, vandalized a taxi and burned a Palestinian flag, police said.
Police said they are currently investigating at least 45 people involved in the violence, including Israelis accused of provocative behavior.
The mentioned game ended with the defeat of the Israeli team with a score of 0:5.
Main photo credit: Wolf-photograph / Shutterstock
