Key Points
- Police in Amsterdam have arrested dozens after violence surrounding a football match between Dutch and Israeli clubs.
- Amsterdam’s mayor said fans of the Israeli club had been “attacked” around the city following the match.
- Footage verified by Reuters showed Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before the match.
Dutch police made 62 arrests in connection with violence that erupted after a Europa League football match between Amsterdam club Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv that left five people in hospital.
Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema said Maccabi Tel Aviv fans had been “attacked” around the city following the match, and that riot police intervened to protect them and escort them to hotels.
Halsema described gangs on scooters targeting fans of the Israeli club, beating and kicking them in “hit-and-run” assaults. She described the violence as “antisemitic”.
Ten people remained in custody on Friday (local time), Dutch authorities said.
Amsterdam banned demonstrations through the weekend and gave police emergency stop-and-search powers in response to the unrest.
Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said the city had been “deeply damaged” by the attacks. Source: AAP, EPA / Koen van Weel
Palestine Football Association alleges ‘anti-Palestinian racism’
The Palestine Football Association said the violence had started with the “deplorable incitement to violence, anti-Palestinian racism, and Islamophobia expressed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans”.
It said the Israeli fans had “attacked homes and shops displaying the Palestinian flag” and complained it was still waiting for “concrete action” by world football governing body FIFA in response to the extensive evidence it had presented.
Videos on social media after the match showed riot police in action, with some attackers shouting anti-Israeli slurs.
Footage verified by the Reuters news agency showed Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before the match.
Another verified video showed Maccabi fans setting off flares and chanting “Let the IDF win, we will f–k the Arabs”, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
The Times of Israel also shared footage that had been posted on social media showing Maccabi fans chanting racist slogans upon arriving back at Ben Gurion Airport from Amsterdam.
Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club arrive from Amsterdam at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Source: AAP, EPA / Avshalom Sassoni
Amsterdam’s police chief, Peter Holla, gave some support to the PFA’s allegations, saying there had been “incidents on both sides” on Wednesday, 24 hours before the match.
He said Maccabi supporters had forcibly torn down a Palestinian flag from a facade and destroyed a taxi.
“A Palestinian flag was set on fire on the Dam,” he added, referring to Amsterdam’s central square.
Holla said 800 officers had been deployed, a very large number for Amsterdam, adding that police had “spent weeks preparing” for the match.
UN ‘shocked’ by violence
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof denounced the “terrible antisemitic attack”, while European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was “outraged” by the “vile attacks”.
US President Joe Biden said the “despicable” attacks “echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted”.
UN chief António Guterres was “shocked by the violence”, his spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said.
“He condemns all forms of antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry,” she added.
A pro-Palestinian rally against the Israeli football club’s visit was initially scheduled to take place near the stadium on Thursday, but was relocated by Amsterdam city council for security reasons.
Palestinian militant and political group Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel last year resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, according to official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed more than 43,500 people in Gaza, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
