Violence against Israeli fans in the Dutch capital Amsterdam left five people hospitalized and dozens arrested, police said on Friday.
Videos circulating on social media showed violence on the city’s streets, and NBC News located one near Amsterdam Central Station showing people chasing and physically assaulting others. Another video geolocated by NBC News showed Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam singing “Death to the Arabs” and “Let the IDF win.” We will fuck the Arabs” and tear down the Palestinian flag.
The office of Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema described the events following Dutch giants Ajax’s 5-0 win against Israel as “very volatile, with several incidents of violence against Maccabi fans” .
Halsema told a press conference on Friday that the city had taken emergency measures, including banning demonstrations.
He said Thursday night’s incident was a “disgrace” to the city, with local police saying five people required hospitalization and 20 to 30 others suffered minor injuries. A total of 62 people were arrested, police said.
“Such acts of violence against supporters of Israel are unacceptable and cannot be defended in any way,” his office said in a separate statement posted online. “Last night, rioters actively sought out supporters of Israel. , there is no excuse for the anti-Semitic behavior they displayed.
The Israeli embassy in Amsterdam said Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were “ambushed and attacked” after a Europa League match as “the mob chanted anti-Israel slogans and proudly shared videos of their violent behavior on social media” .
Israel said it planned to send several commercial planes to evacuate its citizens from Amsterdam, reversing an earlier plan to send military planes.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schof said he was “shocked by the anti-Semitic attacks against Israeli citizens”.
He called the violence “completely unacceptable” and said he had spoken by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to stress that those responsible will be identified and prosecuted.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock posted on the X website that the scenes in Amsterdam were “terrible and shameful for us Europeans.”
Peter Hora, the city’s acting police chief, said at a news conference on Friday that a number of incidents occurred in the hours before the game, resulting in hundreds of police officers being deployed across the country to help maintain security.
In one incident on Wednesday, Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters attacked a taxi and a Palestinian flag, he said.
On Thursday, on the eve of the game, he said Israeli fans had gathered in a square and pro-Palestinian demonstrators had gathered nearby, saying it was difficult for authorities to separate the two groups.
He said violence broke out after the game.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the violence an “anti-Semitic pogrom” and said he believed Dutch authorities would “act immediately and take all necessary measures to protect, locate and rescue all Israelis under attack” people and Jews, and eliminate violence against Jews.” and Israeli citizens by any means necessary. “
US Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, condemned the incident and said it was “very reminiscent of the classic Holocaust”.
Many officials around the world made similar comparisons after the events, which took place in the city where a young Anne Frank and her family once lived while hiding from Nazi occupiers during World War II.
Ajax has historically been seen as having close ties to the city’s large Jewish community.
Lipstadt said she was also “deeply troubled that the reported attacks continued for so long and called on the government to conduct a thorough investigation into the intervention of security forces and how these despicable attacks occurred.”
European football’s governing body UEFA condemned the violence in a statement on Friday and expressed confidence that authorities would be able to “identify and charge as many of those responsible as possible for such acts”.
UEFA said it planned to “examine all official reports, collect available evidence, assess them and assess any further appropriate course of action in light of its relevant regulatory framework.”
Thursday night’s events came as Israel continues its deadly offensive in Gaza, where officials say more than 43,000 people have been killed in a year-long offensive launched in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack. It said about 1,200 people were killed in the attack.
Israel has also launched a months-long offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, as members of the international community try to avoid an all-out war in the region.
The clashes have sparked protests around the world, including at sporting events. A giant “Free Palestine” banner was unveiled at a Paris Saint-Germain match on Wednesday, drawing criticism from France’s interior minister. The Israeli national team is scheduled to face the French team in Paris on November 14.
