Riots: City of Amsterdam: Israeli football fans targeted

According to authorities, pro-Palestinian youths have actively hunted down Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam. Several people were injured in the violent attacks after Ajax Amsterdam’s soccer match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, the city and police said in a joint statement. According to the police, five people had to be treated in hospitals. The troublemakers “actively sought out Israeli fans in order to attack and abuse them,” the statement said.

“In several places in the city, fans were besieged, mistreated and had fireworks thrown at them,” said Mayor Femke Halsema. She condemned this “anti-Semitic behavior.” The city and the judiciary are now investigating the incidents. The authorities are calling on all victims to contact the police and file a report.

“Haunted, beaten and kicked”

According to Israeli witnesses, after Ajax Amsterdam’s Europa League football match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, pro-Palestinian youths attacked fans as they returned from the stadium to the center of the city. People reported scary moments. They were beaten and kicked by masked young men.

The police initially spoke of small confrontations and were very reserved. According to the information, 62 people were temporarily arrested. The police took the Israelis to their hotels at night. These would now be given extra protection, it was said.

The violence sparked outraged reactions in Israel. Politicians spoke of a hunt for Jews. The Israeli government wanted to send two planes to pick up Maccabi supporters. Dutch politicians were also horrified.

Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned these “unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis” on X. He has now spoken to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone. He promised the country all support.

There were also reactions from Germany. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned the incidents in Amsterdam on X as deeply shameful. “The outbreak of such violence against Jews crosses all boundaries. There is no justification for it.”

Police protect Israelis and accompany them to hotels

According to the Amsterdam police, the pro-Palestinian youths had specifically waited for the Israelis at the train station. Reporters from Amsterdam TV station AT5 reported that pro-Palestinian demonstrators threw chairs at Maccabi fans as they returned to the center from the stadium late Thursday evening. Mobile police forces shielded the Israelis and accompanied them to their hotels in buses.

Several Israeli politicians spoke of disturbing scenes of violence in which pro-Palestinian perpetrators literally hunted Jews.

The radical right-wing populist Geert Wilders wrote on X: “A pogrom in the streets of Amsterdam. (…) Muslims with Palestinian flags are hunting Jews.”

Clashes even before the game

Even before the game, there were clashes between Israeli football fans and security forces in the center of the city. According to the police, around ten people were arrested for disturbing public order and the prohibited possession of fireworks.

Israeli fans are also said to have behaved provocatively, witnesses reported. Videos online show them dragging Palestinian flags from houses and shouting offensive slogans.

Before the game there were also clashes near the stadium in the southeast of the city. According to the police, around 200 demonstrators tried to get to the venue. The city administration had previously banned a demonstration directly in front of the Johan Cruijff Arena and designated another location nearby for the rally. The security precautions had been significantly tightened before the game.