MPs focused on last week’s football-related violence in Amsterdam in a heated debate on Wednesday, with far-right leader Geert Wilders calling for withdrawing Dutch nationality from the perpetrators and GroenLinks PvdA leader Frans Timmermans stating that criticism of Israel cannot be equated with anti-Semitism.

While MPs from across the political spectrum condemned the anti-Israeli violence in the wake of the Ajax Maccabi Tel Aviv football match last Thursday, many of them looked to the government for concrete measures.

Even if some of the perpetrators have Moroccan roots, “that does not mean all Muslims are bad people,” said D66 leader Rob Jetten. “Let us be careful about causing further divisions.

The cabinet, he said, should undertake concrete measures, such as financing security measures at Jewish buildings and setting up buffer zones where demonstrations are banned.

A lot has been said in recent days about integration, Jetten said. Newcomers need to learn Dutch and find work, and that encourages integration, he said. But right-wing parties, he said, manage to stop proposals which will help in this.

Caroline van der Plas, leader of the pro-countryside BBB, blamed the violence on “Moroccan and North African young men”. “There is a hatred of Jews among sections of our population,” she said.

Wilders said that those responsible for what he called the “Jew hunt” should be punished as terrorists and those with dual nationality should lose their Dutch passport, a position supported by BBB leader Van der Plas.  

Anti-Semitism should also be included in the list of reasons why people can have their Dutch nationality rescinded, Wilders said.  

But Stephen van Baarle, leader of Denk, said that proposal was reminiscent of the 1930s and 1940s. Van der Plas described that as rubbish. “We are not going to take away Moroccans’ passports,” she said. “We are going to see if you can rescind passports on the basis of having a terrorist motive.”

Gaza

GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans said anger about the war in Gaza is no excuse for last week’s events.

“Nothing that Netanyahu does justifies the violence,” he said. But at the same time, he added, “I am sick of the fact that if you criticize Netanyahu, you are branded an anti-Semite. And that does not help the battle against anti-Semitism.”

The investigation into last week’s trouble needs to look into how the violence erupted and whether or not it was organised, he said.

As yet it is unclear how many people were attacked because they were Israeli or Jewish. Five people were taken to hospital and 20 to 30 injured, but no more details have been made public.

The debate will continue into the evening, with ministers and prime minister Dick Schoof making statements and answering questions later.

The cabinet has pledged to come up with a package of measures to combat anti-Semitism ahead of Friday’s cabinet meeting.