The Lawfare Project Issues Statement in Response to Sentencing of Amsterdam Attackers
The Lawfare Project’s Founder and Executive Director Brooke Goldstein issued the following statement in response to the sentencing by a Dutch court of five men for their role in an antisemitic attack following an Israeli soccer game in Amsterdam last month:
“These sentences are an insult to the victims and a stain on the Dutch legal system. Allowing individuals who coordinated and celebrated acts of violence to walk away with minimal consequences diminishes the rule of law and undermines trust in the judicial process. If this is the response to such blatant antisemitism, what hope is there for deterring future offenders or safeguarding the Jewish community”
The attackers were found guilty of heinous, targeted acts of Jew-hatred. This included assaulting a man already lying on the ground to directing individuals on WhatsApp to where they can find other Jews. Despite the gravity of these crimes, the sentences ranged from 100 hours of community service to six months in prison.
Ziporah Reich, Director of Litigation at The Lawfare Project, added:
“As someone who witnessed these trials firsthand, I am deeply disheartened by the leniency of these sentences. The violent, coordinated attacks against Jews in Amsterdam are among the worst antisemitic incidents in Europe. These light sentences fail to reflect the gravity of these crimes and do little to deliver justice to the victims who are left traumatized and unheard. Even more troubling, they set a dangerous precedent, signaling to future offenders that such horrific acts of violence will not be met with serious consequences.”
On Tuesday, December 24, a Dutch court sentenced five men for charges related to violence that broke out after a soccer match in Amsterdam last month. The Lawfare Project is representing over 50 victims of the Amsterdam attacks and has secured local counsel, Peter Plasman, Partner at Kötter, L'Homme & Plasman advocaten, to represent their clients in the Netherlands.