Editing AFC Ajax (section)

==Jewish connection and anti-semitism==
[[File:Ajaxingalgenwaard.JPG|thumb|Supporters with [[Flag of Israel|Israeli flags]] in 2008]]

Historically, Ajax was popularly seen as having "Jewish roots". While it had fewer Jewish players than [[WV-HEDW]], Ajax has had a Jewish image since the 1930s when the home stadium was located next to a Jewish neighbourhood of [[Amsterdam-Oost]] and opponents saw many supporters walking through the Nieuwmarkt/Waterloopleinbuurt (de Jodenhoek—the "Jews' corner") to get to the stadium.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportgeschiedenis.nl/2006/12/09/ajax-en-de-joden.aspx |title=de alternatieve bron voor sportnieuws |publisher=Sportgeschiedenis.nl |access-date=2 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311033954/http://www.sportgeschiedenis.nl/2006/12/09/ajax-en-de-joden.aspx |archive-date=11 March 2012 }}</ref> The city of Amsterdam was historically referred to as a [[Mokum]] city,{{citation needed |date=March 2024}} Mokum (מקום) being the [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]] word for "place" or "safe haven",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yiddishdictionaryonline.com/dictionary/m |work=Yiddish Dictionary Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713202443/http://www.yiddishdictionaryonline.com/dictionary/m |archive-date=13 July 2015 |title=M }}</ref>, though 75% of the Jewish citizens were killed during the [[Holocaust]].<ref name=jblo>{{cite journal |author=JCH Blom |title=The Persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands: A Comparative Western European Perspective |doi=10.1177/026569148901900302 |journal=[[European History Quarterly]] |date=July 1989 |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=333–351|hdl=20.500.11755/1ab16853-ae62-4a30-a677-0e0d31c6f9f5 |s2cid=143977907 |url=https://pure.knaw.nl/ws/files/640230/14275.pdf }}.</ref> As [[anti-Semitic]] chants and name calling developed and intensified at the old [[De Meer Stadion]] from frustrated supporters of opposing clubs, Ajax fans (few of whom are Jewish)<ref name="nyt">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/world/europe/a-dutch-soccer-riddle-jewish-regalia-without-jews.html|title=A Dutch Soccer Riddle: Jewish Regalia Without Jews|first=Craig S.|last=Smith |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 28, 2005 |access-date=2 February 2023 }}</ref> responded by embracing Ajax's "Jewish" identity: calling themselves "super Jews", chanting "Jews, Jews" ("Joden, Joden") at games, and adopting Jewish symbols such as the [[Star of David]] and the [[Israeli flag]], similar to what supporters of the English [[Premier League]] club [[Tottenham Hotspur]] did with the term [[yid|"yid"]]<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="understanding">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i21W_KN_iUMC&dq=ajax%20jews&pg=PA196 |title=Understanding football hooliganism: A Comparison of Six Western European Clubs |first=Ramon |last=Spaaij |year=2006 |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |isbn=9789056294458 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Why are Ajax and Spurs fans so connected to Jewish symbolism?|date=30 April 2019|website=nss-sports.com|url=https://www.nss-sports.com/en/lifestyle/18438/super-jews-yid-army-ajax-tottenham|access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref>

This Jewish imagery eventually became a central part of Ajax fans' culture.<ref name="understanding" /> At one point, ringtones of "[[Hava Nagila]]", a [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] [[folk song]], could be downloaded from the club's official website.<ref name="nyt" /> Beginning in the 1980s, fans of Ajax's rivals escalated their anti-Semitic rhetoric, chanting slogans like "[[Hamas]], Hamas/Jews to the [[Gas chamber|gas]]" ("Hamas, hamas, joden aan het gas"), hissing to imitate the flow of gas, giving [[Nazi salute]]s, and other things.<ref name="nyt" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Ajax and the Jewish Issue |url=http://www.ajax-usa.com/desk/ajax-and-the-jewish-issue.html |website=ajax-usa.com |access-date=20 May 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113235308/http://www.ajax-usa.com/desk/ajax-and-the-jewish-issue.html |archive-date=13 January 2007 }}</ref> The eventual result was that many genuinely Jewish Ajax fans stopped going to games.<ref name="nyt" />

In the 2000s, the club began trying to persuade fans to drop its Jewish image.<ref name="nyt2">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/world/europe/a-dutch-soccer-riddle-jewish-regalia-without-jews.html?pagewanted=2 | work=[[The New York Times]] | title=Amsterdam Journal; A Dutch Soccer Riddle: Jewish Regalia Without Jews | first=Craig S. | last=Smith | date=28 March 2005 | access-date=23 April 2010 | archive-date=27 July 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727130041/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/world/europe/a-dutch-soccer-riddle-jewish-regalia-without-jews.html?pagewanted=2 | url-status=live }}</ref> In 2013, a documentary titled ''[[Superjews]]'' was released by [[Omroep NTR|NTR]] and Viewpoint Productions which premiered at the [[International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam]] (IDFA). The film was directed by Nirit Peled, an Israeli living in Amsterdam, and an independent film maker who offers a very personal view into the game, the lore of Ajax and its relation to [[Judaism]] from both the supporters as well as from a Jewish perspective.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.idfa.nl/industry/daily/2013/interviews/nirit-peled-discusses-superjews.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116122118/http://www.idfa.nl/industry/daily/2013/interviews/nirit-peled-discusses-superjews.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 January 2014|title=Interview: Superjews|publisher=IDFA.nl|access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref>

{{Main|November 2024 Amsterdam riots}}
Before and after a UEFA Europa League game between the [[Israel]]i team [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.|Maccabi Tel Aviv]] and Ajax on Thursday 7 November 2024 in the Johan Cruyff Arena, tensions surrounding the [[Gaza war]] erupted into violence.<ref>
Relatively neutral news coverage includes:
* {{Cite news |last=Sampson |first=Eve |date=Nov 8, 2024 |others=Claire Moses contributed reporting. |title=What to Know About the Attacks on Israeli Soccer Fans in Amsterdam |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/08/world/europe/amsterdam-israel-soccer-fans-attacks.html |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=The New York Times |department=The Israel Hamas War, Ajax (Soccer Team), Maccabi Tel Aviv}}
* {{Cite news |last1=Buckingham |first1=Philip |last2=Millar |first2=Colin |date=Nov 9, 2024 |orig-date=This article has been updated with additional verified reporting since it was first published |title=Explained: What happened with Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam and how will football react? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5908576/2024/11/09/maccabi-tel-aviv-fans-attacked-why/ |access-date=2024-11-11 |work=The Athletic |publisher=The Athletic Media Company, A New York Times Company}}
* {{Cite news |date=9 November 2024 |orig-date=Editor's Note: The video in this piece is a re-edit of a previous version which didn't meet Sky News' standards for balance and impartiality. |title=What we know about violence involving football fans in Amsterdam: Verified footage shows how violent disorder unfolded in Amsterdam on Thursday. Before Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were attacked in the city, Palestinian flags were pulled down from buildings. |url=https://news.sky.com/story/what-we-know-about-violence-involving-football-fans-in-amsterdam-13250618 |access-date=2024-11-11 |work=Sky News |department=World News; Related Topics: Data and Forensics, The Netherlands |format=Explainer}}
* {{Cite news |last=Corder |first=Mike |date=November 8, 2024 |others=Associated Press reporters Julia Frankel and Ibrahim Hazboun in Jerusalem, Lee Keath in Cairo, Graham Dunbar in Geneva, and Raf Casert in Brussels, contributed to this report. |title=Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam. The violence was condemned as antisemitic |url=https://apnews.com/article/maccabi-tel-aviv-amsterdam-violence-protests-palestinian-bcea212281f682098c4c77ef552af5f1 |access-date=2024-11-11 |work=AP News |department=World News}}
* {{Cite news |last1=Fink |first1=Rachel |last2=Cohen |first2=Ido David |date=Nov 10, 2024 |title=Israeli and Foreign Media Outlets Revise Coverage of Amsterdam Attacks on Israeli Soccer Fans: The U.K.'s Sky News and Israel's Channel 12 removed references to anti-Arab behavior after facing criticism over their coverage of soccer match violence |url=https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/2024-11-10/ty-article/.premium/israeli-foreign-media-outlets-revise-coverage-of-amsterdam-attacks-on-israeli-soccer-fans/00000193-16d9-dded-abb3-fedf03e40000 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-11-11 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241110193659/https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/2024-11-10/ty-article/.premium/israeli-foreign-media-outlets-revise-coverage-of-amsterdam-attacks-on-israeli-soccer-fans/00000193-16d9-dded-abb3-fedf03e40000 |archive-date=2024-11-10 |work=Haaretz |department=World News {{!}} Europe}}
* {{Cite news |date=8 November 2024 |title=Palestinians blame Amsterdam attacks on Maccabi fans despite Telegram calls for violence |url=https://nltimes.nl/2024/11/08/palestinians-blame-amsterdam-attacks-maccabi-fans-despite-telegram-calls-violence |access-date=2024-11-12 |work=NL Times |department=Categories: Crime, Politics; Tags: Femke Halsema, Maccabi Tel Aviv, AFC Ajax, WAFA, Palestinian mission in the Netherlands, Israel, Rokin, Palestine}}
Generally pro-Jewish/anti-Arab news coverage includes:
* {{Cite news |last1=Deutsch |first1=Anthony |last2=Meijer |first2=Bart H. |date=November 8, 2024 |others={{small|Reporting by Enas Alashray in Cairo, Ahmed Elimam in Dubai; Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout and Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; additional reporting by Emily Rose and Jonathan Saul in Jerusalem, Michelle Nicols in New York and Mahezabin Syed in Bangalore; Writing by Michael Georgy and Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Lincoln Feast, Michael Perry and Kevin Liffey}} |title=Amsterdam bans protests after 'antisemitic squads' attack Israeli soccer fans |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/israels-pm-aware-very-violent-incident-against-israelis-amsterdam-his-office-2024-11-08/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=Reuters |department=World {{!}} Israel and Hamas at War |location=Amsterdam}}
* {{Cite news |last1=Sadeh |first1=Shaked |last2=Baranovski |first2=Raanan |last3=Walla! Sports |date=November 8, 2024 |others=Maya Gur Arieh contributed to this report. |title='They started hitting me—kicking my head': Israelis recount Amsterdam attacks, use of stun grenades |url=https://www.jpost.com/bds-threat/article-828204 |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=The Jerusalem Post |department=Jerusalem Post > Diaspora > Antisemitism}}
* {{Cite news |last1=Perets |first1=Shir |last2=Heller |first2=Mathilda |last3=Greyman-Kennard |first3=Danielle |date=November 8, 2024 |title='We were ambushed': Pogrom in Amsterdam wounds several |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-828103 |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=The Jerusalem Post |department=Jerusalem Post > Israel News}}
* {{Cite news |last=O'Neill |first=Brendan |date=2024-11-08 |title=Pogroms have returned to Europe, and the 'anti-racist' Left are silent |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/08/pogrom-amsterdam-football-fans-violence-jews/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=The Telegraph |department=Related Topics: Israel-Hamas War, Anti-Semitism, Amsterdam |language=en-GB}}
* {{Cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Loveday |last2=Han |first2=Jintak |last3=Rom |first3=Alon |date=November 8, 2024 |title=Attacks on Israeli soccer fans a 'black night' for Amsterdam, mayor says |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/08/amsterdam-attack-israel-soccer-match-violence/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |newspaper=The Washington Post |department=World: Europe}}
* {{Cite news |last=McDonald |first=Scott |date=November 8, 2024 |others=Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report. |title=Israel sends evacuation planes to Amsterdam after 'shocking' attack on Israeli soccer fans |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/netanyahu-asks-dutch-leader-increased-security-after-attacks-idf-plans-rescue-mission-amsterdam |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=Fox News |department=World: Israel}}
* {{Cite news |last1=Yosef |first1=Eugenia |last2=Szekeres |first2=Edward |last3=Kent |first3=Lauren |last4=Tanno |first4=Sophie |date=November 8, 2024 |others=CNN’s Matthew Chance, Kareem Khadder, Niamh Kennedy and Lauren Izso contributed to this report. |title=Amsterdam bans protests for three days following violent attacks on Israeli soccer fans |trans-title=This story and headline have been updated with additional details. |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/07/europe/israel-soccer-fans-attacked-amsterdam-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=CNN |department=World / Europe}}
* {{Cite news |last=Pomeroy |first=Gabriela |date=2024-11-08 |others=Additional reporting by Shaina Oppenheimer in Jerusalem |title='They shouted Jewish, IDF': Israeli football fans describe attack in Amsterdam |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgv4mdr9y8o |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=BBC News}}
* {{Cite news |last1=Douglas |first1=Steve |last2=Dunbar |first2=Graham |date=November 8, 2024 |others=Associated Press writers Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed. |title=Israeli teams can't play international games at home. Now, are Maccabi's away games at risk? |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-soccer-maccabi-palestinians-gaza-925c40c2c82a8f41b7b5a7fc00ba186a |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=AP News |department=Sports}}
Generally pro-Arab/anti-Jewish coverage includes:
* {{Cite news |date=8–9 Nov 2024 |title=Israeli football fans clash with protesters in Amsterdam: Amsterdam city council member says 'Maccabi hooligans' instigated violence and attacked Palestinian supporters. |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/8/israeli-football-fans-clash-with-protesters-in-amsterdam |access-date=2024-11-11 |work=Al Jazeera |department=News {{!}} Israel-Palestine conflict}}
* {{Cite news |date=2024-11-08 |title=Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans Boo Silence for DANA Victims |url=https://www.footboom1.com/en/news/football/2039579-maccabi-tel-aviv-fans-boo-silence-for-dana-victims |access-date=2024-11-11 |work=footboom1.com |department=News > Football; Related topics: Ajax, Maccabi Tel Aviv, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League}}
* {{Cite news |last1=Fayyad |first1=Huthifa |last2=Ullah |first2=Areeb |date=8 November 2024 |title=Israeli hooligans provoke clashes in Amsterdam after chanting anti-Palestinian slogans |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-hooligans-provoke-clashes-amsterdam-after-chanting-anti-palestinian-slogans |access-date=2024-11-11 |work=Middle East Eye |department=News {{!}} Israel's war on Gaza |issn=2634-2456}}
* {{Cite news |date=10 November 2024 |title=Footage shows Maccabi supporters attack Amsterdammers |url=https://nltimes.nl/2024/11/10/footage-shows-maccabi-supporters-attack-amsterdammers |access-date=2024-11-12 |work=NL Times |department=Category: Politics; Tags: Femke Halsema, Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel, riots, Israeli football supporters, attacks, slogans, Palestinian flag}}
* {{Cite news |date=8 November 2024 |title=Foreign ministry condemns anti-Arab chants and assaults on Palestinian flag by Israeli football fans in Amsterdam |url=https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/151459 |access-date=2024-11-12 |work=WAFA (Palestinian News & Info Agency) |department=Politics |publisher=Palestinian National Authority}}
* {{Cite news |date=7–9 November 2024 <!-- "4 days ago" --> |title=Hamas: Israeli crimes in Gaza led to Amsterdam unrest : The unrest following a European League match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv were sparked by offensive behaviour and racial slurs from pro-Israel demonstrators. |url=https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/hamas-israeli-crimes-in-gaza-led-to-amsterdam-unrest-18230058 |access-date=2024-11-12 |work=TRT World |department=Middle East |agency=AA}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Foer |first=Franklin |date=November 8, 2024 |title=The Strange History Behind the Anti-Semitic Dutch Soccer Attacks |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/11/jewish-history-behind-dutch-soccer-attacks/680601/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |department=Culture |magazine=The Atlantic}}</ref>