Jewish journalist calls out misuse of anti-Semitism to target Muslims in the Netherlands

Dutch Jewish journalist Eva Prins has spoken out against what she describes as the Dutch government’s disproportionate focus on framing incidents involving Israel supporters as anti-Semitism while neglecting the widespread discrimination faced by Muslims in the Netherlands.

In an interview with Anadolu, Prins highlighted findings from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights’ report Being Muslim in Europe: The Experiences of Muslims, which ranks anti-Muslim sentiment in the Netherlands among the highest in Europe.

“If I would be a Muslim now in the Netherlands, I think I would feel unsafe. And it feels very bad for me that they abuse anti-Semitism for this. So that’s why I speak out,” Prins said.

Prins criticized the government’s portrayal of events following a recent football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, where Israeli hooligans were reportedly heard chanting, “Kill all Arabs” and “There are no children left in Gaza.” She rejected framing these incidents as anti-Semitism, arguing that criticism of the hooligans stemmed from their provocative behavior and support for violence in Gaza, rather than their Jewish identity.

“Any attempt to frame this as anti-Semitism is utterly outrageous,” she emphasized, accusing the government of weaponizing anti-Semitism to vilify Dutch Muslims.

Rise of far-right politics and Islamophobia in Europe

Prins also pointed to the increasing influence of far-right ideologies in Dutch politics as a key driver of Islamophobia. She specifically cited Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party, which has gained significant traction in recent years.

“There has been a (UN) report recently which says that the Netherlands is one of the most Islamophobic countries in Europe,” Prins said. “Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party hasn’t been the biggest party just out of nothing,” she added, linking its rise to persistent anti-Muslim sentiment.

Criticism of media and political bias

Prins expressed frustration with the Dutch government’s exclusive engagement with Zionist Jewish groups like the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), which she says marginalizes dissenting Jewish voices.

She condemned the lack of attention given to Jews critical of Israeli policies, saying, “The voices of Jews critical of Israel’s policies are rarely heard.” Prins further denounced the conflation of criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, asserting, “I cannot understand that anyone could support a state committing what I see as genocide.”