Interview with Dr. Kozerod on the Challenges Facing Jewish Communities in Europe and the Urgent Need for Self-Protection, originally published by EU Morning Post.
Correspondent.: – Dear Doctor Kozerod, for several years you have been studying the issues of modern European Jewish life. Did you expect to see events similar to those that occurred in Amsterdam?
О.K.: – Unfortunately, today it is impossible to predict exactly where and when such events will occur. However, what happened in the Netherlands was quite expected.
If we set aside all the European Jewish Life Under Threat: Calls for Strengthened Community Self-Defence contributing factors, such as the power of pro-Palestinian propaganda and the difficulties in PR activities and conveying the position of the Israeli government to Europeans, the reason for what happened lies in only one thing: the weakness of the Dutch police.
Everyone knows that the police work well with citizens within their jurisdiction and can respond to certain localised public order violations. In situations involving mass disturbances and riots, however, the police become powerless.
In neighbouring Flanders, one of the largest train stations has seen clashes between youth gangs for many months. Despite the small number and young age of the hooligans, the police are afraid to intervene and call in… the army to solve the problem. However, even the army is hesitant to intervene…
Correspondent: – It is frightening to think what Europe will have to endure after the world has witnessed such weakness from the Dutch police. Now Islamist and youth gangs can wreak havoc and terrorise any national or other group of the population? Will they perhaps target wealthy neighbourhoods or loot museums?
O.K.: – You are partially correct; today, Swedish youth gangs commit serious crimes against the population and businessmen in neighbouring Denmark and Finland, and the police are unable to deal with this, as the young age of the criminals prevents adequate punishment from being applied to them.
Correspondent: – Do you think that the Jews will become the group that will be terrorised with impunity by rioters, sometimes at the behest of governments hostile to EU countries?
O.K.: – It depends on the EU authorities, who today are implementing the Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life until 2030.