Global Leaders, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and the Political Erosion of Truth

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s extremist fan actions in Amsterdam expose deep-seated nationalism. Global leaders' responses dangerously misuse Holocaust memory, obscuring the truth and enabling violence.

Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club, a name synonymous with both glory and ignominy, embodies a duality reflective of broader Israeli societal and political currents. The club, steeped in a history of athletic triumphs since 1906, has become as much a symbol of national pride as a mirror to the darker, unchecked forces of nationalism and extremist intolerance that fester within its most ardent supporters. The recent unrest involving Maccabi fans in Amsterdam brought these tensions into stark relief and revealed not only the depth of this problem but also the disturbing global response that followed—one that raises questions about truth, accountability, and the misuse of historical narratives.

In the video below, watch and listen to how the incidents in Amsterdam were instigated. [Source: X]

Global Political Response

When Maccabi Tel Aviv fans rampaged through the streets of Amsterdam following a Champions League match, their actions sparked a flurry of international condemnation. Videos and images spread across social media depicted fans tearing down Palestinian and French flags, chanting anti-Arab slogans, and assaulting local citizens—a display of hate and violence that should have incited global outcry against extremism. Yet, the chorus of statements from world leaders in the aftermath followed a different script.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s long-serving Prime Minister, invoked Kristallnacht in a recent statement that reverberated with historical weight and political calculation:

“Tomorrow, 86 years ago, was Kristallnacht, an attack on Jews just for being Jews on European soil. It’s back now. Yesterday we saw it on the streets of Amsterdam.”

This reference was neither casual nor isolated but part of a broader narrative that seeks to reframe today’s events through the lens of historical trauma. By drawing parallels between modern demonstrations and the brutal pogrom of November 1938, Netanyahu’s invocation attempts to harness the collective memory of Jewish suffering as a defensive bulwark, portraying rioters as victims of antisemitic violence rather than as potential instigators.

The significance of Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass”, must be understood with precision. This violent pogrom, orchestrated by the Nazi regime from November 9-10, 1938, was presented as a spontaneous reaction to the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by a Polish-Jewish teenager in Paris. Yet, behind this facade lay a coordinated campaign aimed at deepening the persecution of Jews. Synagogues were torched, Jewish-owned businesses and homes were ransacked and shattered, and sacred cemeteries desecrated. The death toll reached at least 91, while approximately 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and transported to concentration camps. It was a pivotal escalation, foreshadowing the unfathomable horrors of the Holocaust. The broken glass that littered streets became a harbinger of shattered lives and futures.

Comparing this profound historical atrocity against recent protests, instances of organised dissent in response to Israeli hooligan extremist actions, distorts the gravity of Kristallnacht. Such a comparison shifts focus from legitimate criticisms of policy and the complex dynamics of international and community tensions to an ahistorical narrative that claims victimhood under siege. Netanyahu’s statement, with its evocative reach into collective trauma, underscores a troubling pattern: the appropriation of Holocaust memory as a rhetorical shield of his extremism, one that diminishes the unique, methodical horror faced by Jews in Nazi Germany.

Invoking Kristallnacht in this context is not only misleading but also risks undermining the historical integrity of remembrance, weaponizing it in service of narratives that fail to reflect the scale or nature of the original atrocity. The Amsterdam protests, which were manifestations of civic action amid rising tensions, are thus cast in an unfairly polarized light. This prompts a sobering question: When historical memory becomes a tool for political expediency and Netanyahu’s extremism, what truths are left vulnerable to erasure?

Despite Netanyahu’s claim, Dutch Jewish people were not attacked; instead, they joined their fellow Amsterdam residents in organising and calling out the Israeli government’s extremist hooliganism that had been brought into the city. The fact that this violence, instigated by Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, elicited a swift global political response from Tel Aviv right before the 86th anniversary (9-10 Nov 1938) of Kristallnacht is revealing. It points to a coordinated effort by the Israeli secret service, suggesting this was a state-run operation to perpetuate the narrative of Jewish persecution, even as an unfolding genocide is being justified in their name. This manipulation of historical trauma to mask aggression and shift blame is transparent, especially as Jewish communities worldwide openly denounce Israeli government fascism. It is both heartbreaking and enraging, particularly for those of Jewish heritage, to witness the weaponisation of our ancestors’ profound suffering as a tool to justify the very same atrocities they endured.

VIDEO: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, chanting: 'Ole ole, Ole ole ole, Let the IDF win and fu**ing the Arabs. Ole ole, Ole ole ole, Why is school out in Gaza? There are no children left there.' Their inflammatory lyrics expose the disturbing undercurrents of extremist racism and nationalism in Israeli football culture.

Similarly, US President Joe Biden characterised the violence as “antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans” and emphasised the echoes of historical persecution:

“These despicable acts remind us of the dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted.”

The framing, echoed by leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron, German and British Foreign offices and President of the EU Commission Von Der Leyen shifted the narrative from one of provocation and aggression by Israeli fans to a discourse that painted them as besieged victims.

This rhetoric not only distorts the facts but perpetuates a dangerous precedent. By positioning Maccabi supporters as targets of antisemitism, despite clear evidence of their instigation, these leaders engage in a narrative manipulation that erodes public trust and obscures accountability.

These carefully crafted narratives represent mass gaslighting on an international scale, an attempt to rewrite reality in defence of a troubling political ideology such as the one sitting in Tel Aviv. While these politicians proclaim their commitment to human rights and democratic values to their citizens and the global community, their actions reveal the contrary: a disturbing alignment with the suppression of truth and the endorsement of authoritarian fascist principles. Yet, what they fail to realise is that people will not remain silent. Communities across the world will organise, stand firm, and work tirelessly to uphold the truth. This stark disparity between their words and actions is perhaps the clearest indication of their true values, ones that do not align with democracy or human rights, but rather with the perpetuation of power and control through deception.

VIDEO: Here is an Amsterdamer’s account.

Lessons Unlearned

Professor Snyder is the author of several books on the Holocaust and contemporary politics, including “On Tyranny.” The New York Times.