Recently, there has been significant attention in the (social) media regarding the fact that two complaints concerning disturbances in the Amsterdam metro during the football match Ajax - Maccabi Tel Aviv in November 2024 have been dismissed due to lack of evidence. The fact that GVB footage was overwritten at the time of the request played a role.
One complaint concerns incitement to discrimination and threats by two Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters towards two veiled women on November 6 around 21:30 in metro 51 or metro 54. The other complaint pertains to incitement to discrimination and assault of a woman at the Centraal metro station on November 7 around 18:00. Both complaints were filed on November 14.
Overwritten
The police attempted to secure video and audio material from the relevant metros and metro platforms immediately after the complaints became known. However, the relevant footage was already overwritten due to the limited retention period. Additionally, GVB cameras in and around the metro only record video, not audio.
Due to the absence of video and audio material and other concrete identifying data, it has not been possible to arrive at a suspicion of specific individuals. Therefore, the complaints have been dismissed due to lack of evidence.
Concrete suspicion
Various media have raised the question of why the Public Prosecution Service (OM) did not request all agencies with cameras to preserve the relevant footage after the many disturbances in early November. However, the OM can only demand footage if there is a concrete suspicion of a committed criminal offense. That suspicion may have existed at the time of the complaints on November 14, but by then the relevant footage had already been overwritten.
Without a concrete suspicion, the OM cannot request GVB or other agencies to keep footage longer than the applicable retention period.