A new Kristallnacht? Antisemitic violence and Europe’s responsibility

The harrowing scenes from Amsterdam on Thursday night, when a premeditated and coordinated pogrom was enacted against Israeli football fans, should not only send shockwaves through Europe but also serve as a stark reminder of the continent’s long unresolved battle with antisemitism.

The brutal assault, led by a mob of Islamist extremists targeting Jewish individuals in the streets, has drawn chilling comparisons to Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” when Nazis unleashed violence against Jews across Germany and Austria 86 years ago.

This was a loud echo from history. We saw Jews pretend to play dead, being pushed into rivers and canals, attempted kidnaps and hunted like prey across the city.

These events should serve as a stark warning that we are witnessing the ideological heirs of the Nazis today, the Islamists, acting with similar hate, violence, and impunity.

Exactly 86 years after Kristallnacht, when Nazis, along with ordinary Germans, hunted Jews through the streets of Europe, we see their ideological heirs rampaging through the streets of Amsterdam once again seeking to spill Jewish blood.

Complacency in confronting extremism continues

This attack, and the climate of escalating violence against Jews across Europe, is a harbinger of a larger, more disturbing reality: that Europe is once again failing to protect its Jewish citizens, and its complacency in confronting extremist ideologies is putting Jewish communities at risk.

What makes this particularly haunting is that, in many ways, we are watching history repeat itself, except this time, Jews no longer have to wait for the rest of the world to act.

The comparison to Kristallnacht is not made lightly. That night, November 9–10, 1938, saw the Nazis orchestrate the murder of hundreds of Jews, the destruction of Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Germany, marking the beginning of an unprecedented campaign of terror that would culminate in the Holocaust.

Fast forward 86 years, and while we are not witnessing a resurgence of state-sanctioned antisemitism, we are witnessing state-sanctioned negligence.

It is clear that there were warnings of this type of violence, yet no police were on immediate hand to prevent it.

The Amsterdam attacks are a reminder of how easily hatred can be weaponised, even in liberal democracies.

The rise of Islamist extremism in Europe, alongside the normalisation of anti-Israel sentiment that spills over into antisemitism, has created a fertile ground for such violence.

What we saw in Amsterdam was not random; it was part of a larger, premeditated campaign of intimidation and hatred aimed at Jews, one that we’ve seen escalate over the last year across Europe, since the 7 October massacre last year.

However, this time, Jews won’t wait around to see where things are headed like they did in 1939.

They’ll leave, leaving Europe to deal with the extremism that has been allowed to fester.

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How safe are we in Europe?

For many Jews, the threat of rising antisemitism is not just a political issue; it’s a matter of personal safety. Historically, Jews have been forced to leave countries where they once felt secure, and now, once again, they are being forced to ask the same question: How safe are we in Europe?

The question is not just about the safety of Jewish communities; it’s about Europe’s ability, or willingness, to confront the growing extremism within its borders.

For years, authorities have been slow to recognise the dangerous rise of political Islam, and even when they have, efforts to curb it have often been half-hearted or ineffective. From anti-Israel protests that turn violent to incidents of vandalism and physical attacks on any and all individuals and institutions they deem an enemy, Europe has often been hesitant to crack down on hate speech and violent extremism in ways that would effectively protect both its Jewish and general population.

For Europe to avoid another catastrophe, it must confront the reality that it is once again becoming a haven for extremist ideologies that seek to destroy Jewish life, as well as central facets of European life.

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This is not a problem that can be ignored or downplayed. The rise of violent antisemitism is not just a Jewish issue; it is a European issue, and it is a threat to the very foundations of European freedom, democracy and civil rights.

The time for action is now. Europe must begin taking concrete steps to ensure the safety of its Jewish citizens by addressing the sources of radicalisation, cracking down on violent hate groups, and ceasing the toleration of antisemitism in any form. Jews should not have to fear for their lives simply because of who they are, and Europe must make it clear that hatred will not be tolerated on its streets.

The lessons of history are clear: hatred, once allowed to fester, can easily spill over into violence and terror. Europe must act before it is too late, and Jews must know that their safety will no longer be subject to political convenience or denial.

If Europe fails to act decisively, it will be left to face the consequences of its inaction, just as it did after the horrors of the Holocaust.

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Sacha Roytman Dratwa is CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).

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