At least 62 people have been arrested and five have been injured this morning in Amsterdam after clashes between protesters against the war in Gaza and a group of Israeli football fans who came to the Dutch capital for a Maccabi Tel Aviv FC match against Ajax . A Police spokesperson has informed EFE that “verified information that can be shared” is being compiled about what happened before, during and after the match.
The Amsterdam Police confirmed this Friday that more than a dozen people have been arrested for different crimes, mainly disorderly conduct, before the football match began, when several hundred Maccabi Tel Aviv FC fans gathered at the city’s Dam Square.
On the other hand, a demonstration authorized by the City Council against the Israeli offensive against Gaza – which has left more than 43,500 dead in 13 months – was registered in a square in Amsterdam located one kilometer from the Johan Cruijff Arena stadium. Some of the protesters tried to head towards the stadium, but were held back by riot police, who were attacked with fireworks, according to a brief note from the Police, which indicated that a uniformed officer suffered “hearing damage.”
Finally, around thirty people were arrested for disturbing public order and for carrying or using fireworks at that demonstration. The Amsterdam Police spokesperson consulted by EFE has not been able to confirm the identity, nationality or affiliation of those arrested.
This Friday, the so-called “triangle” of Amsterdam (made up of the mayor’s office, the Police and the Prosecutor’s Office) has indicated that Thursday night was “very hectic, with several incidents of violence directed against Maccabi fans” in several places in the city, and has reported that riot police had to “intervene several times, protect Israeli fans and escort them to hotels.” “The magnitude of the incidents, victims and arrests is now under investigation,” he added in the note.
“This explosion of violence against Israeli fans is unacceptable and has no justification. There is no excuse for the anti-Semitic behavior shown last night by rioters who actively sought out Israeli followers to attack and assault them,” the “triangle” insisted in its statement, asking all victims to come forward and report.
For her part, the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, announced in a press conference that the city is designated as a “security risk area” and that protests are prohibited this weekend. Halsema, who belongs to the green left GroenLinks, has described the violence that occurred last night in the capital as “a crime” that is “intolerable and incomprehensible,” adding that the attacks on Israeli fans “bring back memories of the pogroms,” a organized lynching against Jews. “The city is deeply saddened, Jewish culture is seriously threatened” by this “explosion of anti-Semitism,” he declared, stating that an investigation is underway into whether the violence was “premeditated.”
Unverified images and videos that have circulated on social networks throughout the night show how Maccabi Tel Aviv FC fans are chased and attacked by masked men, as well as alleged Israeli fans tearing down Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against Gazans, as favor of their extermination in Gaza.
Dutch media have confirmed that Israeli team fans clashed with protesters against the war in Gaza on several occasions in different parts of Amsterdam, attacked a taxi driver and tore down a Palestinian flag on the eve of the match. “On Rokin (Street), still unidentified people tore a Palestinian flag from a façade. On the Max Euweplein, police prevented a confrontation between a group of taxi drivers and a group of visitors leaving the nearby casino. “No arrests were made,” the Police said.
The Israeli Government has denounced the incident and described it as “very violent”, stating that Israeli fans were “ambushed and attacked” in Amsterdam after the Europa League match against Ajax, which ended 5-0 in favor of the team. Dutch.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, who traveled to Holland this Friday, has asked the authorities to apply “severe punishments to those responsible” for the attacks on Israeli fans and has offered help to the Dutch authorities to “gather evidence.” ” of those who “beat and humiliated Israeli citizens.” According to Saar, Thursday night’s attack is “perhaps the largest attack against Jews in Europe” since World War II.
For his part, the Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, has expressed his rejection of what happened last night in Amsterdam and has said he is “horrified by the anti-Semitic attacks against Israeli citizens”, something “completely unacceptable” in his opinion. Schoof, who leads a Government where the radical right has a majority, has also promised his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Nentayahu, that “those responsible will be identified and brought to justice.”
This Friday, UEFA also firmly condemned the violent acts that occurred last morning and announced that it will evaluate possible actions within its regulations, once it examines all the official reports. “We trust that the competent authorities will identify and charge all those responsible for such actions as possible,” the sports body said in a statement.
