Dutch Journalist Wears a Kippah in Muslim Areas of Amsterdam — and Is Met with Hate

A Dutch journalist recently conducted a striking social experiment: he put on a kippah (Jewish skullcap) and walked through Muslim-populated areas in Amsterdam to see how Jews are treated there. The results were disturbing.

While wearing the kippah, he approached passersby to ask their opinions about Jews and antisemitism. The reactions he received included insults, antisemitic slurs, and even physical threats. Some shouted hate slogans against Jews and Israel, and he narrowly escaped being attacked. The video documenting the experiment went viral, surpassing half a million views on Facebook.

A Sharp Rise in Antisemitism in the Netherlands

Over the past year, there has been a significant increase in antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands. Wanting to understand whether a person wearing a kippah could safely walk through certain neighborhoods, the non-Jewish journalist decided to test it for himself.

After putting on the kippah, he began asking people what they thought about Israel and the Jewish community. Many of the responses were openly hostile:

• One man shouted, “Jews are cancer!”

• Another yelled, “Free Palestine!”

• In one incident, an interviewee grabbed the microphone and ran away.

• Others shouted “Hamas! Hamas!” as he walked by.

• A cyclist screamed, “You Jews are murderers!” and tried to hit him.

Open Hostility — and Rare Moments of Tolerance

When the journalist approached a woman to ask about antisemitism in Amsterdam, she immediately stood up and walked away without responding. Another man deliberately stepped on the journalist’s foot, and when asked “Are you ignoring me because I’m wearing a kippah?”, the man, who appeared to be Muslim, tried to hit him. The journalist managed to escape unharmed.

Still, not every response was negative. A young man of Moroccan descent told him he had no problem with Israel or Jews, saying: “In Islam, we are taught to respect all religions.”

Another Muslim respondent was asked what he would do if there were apartheid laws against Muslims. His answer revealed a troubling double standard: “I wouldn’t care if it was against Jews. But if it were against Muslims, I’d speak out.”

A Glimpse Into Growing Intolerance

The experiment, though brief, exposed an uncomfortable truth about the rise of antisemitism in Europe, even in societies considered liberal and tolerant. For many viewers, it served as a stark reminder that wearing a simple religious symbol, can still provoke hatred and danger in the heart of a European capital.