Ajax hooligans break up nazi demonstration

Searchlight - November 2007

Hooligans of the top Dutch club Ajax sent a crowd of nazis packing in Amsterdam on 22 September after giving them a good hiding. The nazis from the Nationalist People's Movement (NVB) were intending, hypocritically, to demonstrate in Amsterdam against the temporary removal of a World War Two monument, a cross commemorating Resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation - which had been removed because of the building of a mosque.

At the beginning of the year, the NVB wrote to the district council demanding the immediate replacement of the cross, claiming that a cross should never be removed for a mosque and adding that the "Christian religion is the foundation of our values". At the same time, the right-wing populist Geert Wilders also protested at the monument's removal and asked parliamentary questions about it to several ministerial departments. Wilders' line is that the monument was removed because it would be "insulting to Muslims".

Constant Kusters of the NVB's bitter nazi rival, the Dutch People's Union (NVU), launched an attack on the NVB and urged his followers not to join the demonstration. Kusters, who regards himself as a superior quality nazi, objected to the fact that the NVB was demonstrating for a Christian symbol for Resistance fighters, pointed out that Jesus was a Jew and pointed that his sect is more concerned about the rise of Zionism in the Netherlands, referring to Islam-basher Wilders who, Kusters thinks, follows a Zionist agenda.

Other groups, such as the New National Unity (NNE), Holland Hardcore and National Collective (NC) ignored Kusters and said they would join the demonstration. On the day itself some 40 people gathered, under the protection of heavies from Dietse Kameraden, a local group of the NVB and Blood&Honour members.

While this mob was preparing to start their demonstration, around 20 Ajax hooligans, followed by local youth and anti-fascists, walked towards the nazis and set about them. The nazi heavy squad hit back but that did not stop the hooligans. Humiliated, the rest of the fascists ran away, leaving three of their number with head injuries, a broken nose and a fractured hand.

Though riot police and plain-clothes police intervened and arrested three of the anti-nazis, NVB leader and right wing veteran Wim Beaux was immediately called to a police van and ordered to tell his friends that the demonstration had been cancelled and that a bus was ready to transport them to a nearby train station.

At a nearby square, a local anti-fascist committee staging a demonstration cheered when they learned about the cancellation of the NVB demonstration. A week before, the same committee had marched through the neighborhood to mobilise people against the NVB.

The nazis, meanwhile, are thinking about holding another demonstration in Amsterdam against "the criminal organisation, AFA" (Anti-Fascist Action). Even Kusters is willing to set aside his differences with the NVB on this one and has announced that he will organise the next demonstration in Amsterdam.

Jeroen Bosch for Alert! and Antifa-Net