Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema expresses regret for using the word โpogromโ at the internationally covered press conference the day after the clashes in the city, adding, โWe were completely overtaken by Israel.โ
Speaking to the current affairs show Nieuwsuur on Sunday night, Halsema said: โIn hindsight, I should not have used the word โpogrom.โ.. We were completely overtaken by Israel. At 3 a.m., Prime Minister Netanyahu suddenly gave a lecture about what had happened in Amsterdam, while we were still gathering the facts.โ
โThe Israeli government spoke of a โPalestinian pogrom on the streets of Amsterdam,โ and in The Hague, the words were used to discriminate against Moroccan Amsterdammers, Muslims. That is not what I meant or what I wanted.โ
She also acknowledged that she should have highlighted the violence caused by Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters before and after the Europa League game in Amsterdam.
Halsema: Wij werden helemaal ingehaald vanuit Israรซl. Om 3 uur 's nachts gaf premier Netanyahu plotseling een lezing over wat er in Amsterdam was gebeurd, terwijl wij nog de feiten aan het verzamelen waren.
#Nieuwsuur