How Do We Stop Pogroms and Riots in Amsterdam, Germany — and America?

Jews hunted and beaten in the streets of Amsterdam, the same happens four days later in Berlin: both are connected to the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazi pogrom of 1938.

Yet beyond the antisemitism, something strange is happening: police protection was mostly absent, most of those arrested have been released, and the mayor of Amsterdam has actually apologized for her earlier condemnation, now blaming the attack (at least partly) on the Jewish victims.

America is not immune from this disturbing trend, but we can stop it if we try. Here’s what you need to know.

Israel’s Maccabi football (soccer) team had just finished playing Amsterdam’s Ajax team, when the attack squads struck. As fans left the stadium, the attackers hunted, chased, and mercilessly beat any victims who couldn’t prove they weren’t Jewish.

Meticulously planned in advance by members of Amsterdam’s Muslim population, some were armed with clubs, or even small explosives. Four days later, the same happened after a football match in Berlin.

Israeli intelligence had warned Dutch authorities in advance but Holland did not take action. Numerous victims say that police were nowhere to be found for hours.

Some Dutch police habitually refuse to protect Jewish communities on the basis of “moral objections.” In a dark irony, some police even refuse to protect Holland’s Holocaust museum: making it a symbol not only of Holland’s dark and horrific past, but also of Holland’s dark and horrific present.

Police commanders apparently take these antisemitic “moral” objections seriously, thus legitimizing a horrific hatred that should not be tolerated in the slightest.

In a shocking turn of events, Amsterdam’s mayor apologized to Holland’s Muslim community for calling the pogrom a “pogrom” and (incorrectly) accused the Jewish victims of being “also violent.” Out of an unknown number of attackers, only 63 were arrested, and all but four were released.

The subsequent attack in Berlin followed an almost identical pattern. When police do not protect Jewish communities, when intelligence agencies ignore warnings, when perpetrators are not brought to justice, Europe sends a message loud and clear: we accept this. Despite superficial condemnations, Europe’s actions invite even more antisemitic and anti-Western violence.

This is nothing new.

I was in Chicago when thousands turned out to a “protest against Israeli policies,” waiving Nazi flags, shouting “death to Jews,” and burning papier-mâché Jews in effigy. Despite headlines, this was neither a “protest” nor was it against “Israeli policies” but rather a violent hate march against American Jews. The year was 2009.

I came with a small group of five counter-protesters until the police ordered us to leave, saying they could not protect us. While I understand the officers were just trying to keep us safe, their decision actually violated the very spirit of American democracy.

For example, in 1954, when hate mobs in Little Rock, Arkansas, tried to prevent Black students from attending public school (as ordered by the Supreme Court decision, Brown vs. Board of Education) the local police were overwhelmed — so President Eisenhower sent in the 101st Airborne. Eisenhower understood that the law is the law, and civil rights are civil rights: not only for the loudest and most violent, but for everyone.

Flash forward to today, when Jewish students are forcibly blocked from entering school buildings on university campuses: a civil rights violation that, legally speaking, is almost identical to the one in 1954. Just like in Little Rock, just like in Amsterdam and Berlin and Chicago, the police are nowhere to be found.

But unlike Little Rock, neither the schools nor the White House did their civic or legal duty, and the violence has gotten progressively worse: because we, as a society, have allowed it.

How did it start?

Modern antisemitism became especially organized at the Durban conference in 2001. At this United Nations sponsored event, which included Nazi rhetoric and anti-Jewish attacks, the Palestinian government announced a long term strategy, later entitled the “diplomatic intifada.”

As part of this plan, Palestinian groups and their allies (such as Iran and Qatar) invested billions of dollars and decades of work into shaping opinions, education, and political lobbying in the West. Their efforts have been successful, in part because Western societies have allowed them to be.

What can be done?

There are some campuses where anti-Jewish violence has not succeeded, despite attempts. For example, when a small minority of Arab students at Israel’s Haifa University supported the October 7 massacre on social media, they were immediately subject to suspensions, mediation, and disciplinary actions (such as mandated community service). As a result, Haifa (both the city and the university) remains a bastion of Jewish-Arab coexistence, one of the most flourishing examples in Israel, even during this time of war.

When students became physically violent on certain American campuses, such as Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, university officials promptly called the police and pressed appropriate charges, leaving the campuses free and safe for all. Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier says that teaching real tolerance on an ongoing basis at the classroom level, combined with appropriate enforcement when necessary, has proved a winning combination on his campus.

In short, when we, as a society, refuse to tolerate hate crimes, they decrease. When we allow them, we invite more.

As far back as October 2023, presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that if elected, he would cancel student visas from foreign students who engage in antisemitic violence. Since becoming President-elect this month, Trump declared that campus antisemitism violates civil rights laws, and accordingly, universities that permit such violence will lose their academic accreditation with respect to Federal funding.

Europe and the United States already have appropriate laws that balance free speech with civil rights and basic human safety. When we properly enforce our laws, our societies reflect our values and flourish. When we fail, our societies deteriorate. The tide of anti-Jewish and anti-Western hate is not invincible, but it is up to us to take appropriate measures, to stand by our values, and to protect our world.

Daniel Pomerantz is the CEO of RealityCheck, an organization dedicated to deepening public conversation through robust research studies and public speaking.

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