Rioters "actively sought out Israeli supporters to attack" after a football match in Amsterdam as Israel said it was sending planes to the Dutch capital to fly fans home.
An unknown number of Israeli supporters were injured in the violence on Thursday night that was condemned by the leaders of both the Netherlands and Israel as antisemitic. Dutch police said five people have been taken to hospital with injuries, with 62 people arrested.
A statement issued by the Dutch capital's municipality, police and prosecution office said the hours after the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv match at the Johan Cruyff Arena "was very turbulent with several incidents of violence aimed at Maccabi supporters".
"In several places in the city, supporters were attacked. The police had to intervene several times, protect Israeli supporters and escort them to hotels. Despite the massive police presence in the city, Israeli supporters have been injured," the Amsterdam statement said. "This outburst of violence toward Israeli supporters is unacceptable and cannot be defended in any way. There is no excuse for the antisemitic behavior exhibited last night by rioters who actively sought out Israeli supporters to attack and assault them."
One supporter told told Dutch state broadcaster NOS: “We don’t feel safe... You come to the game to have fun, but I can’t believe what happened here. I come here for a holiday, but it looked like a war zone.” Video on social media showed crowds running through the streets and a man being beaten, with some attackers shouting “Free Palestine”.
There were also incidents involving fans ahead of the match. NOS reported that a Palestinian flag was ripped off a building in the centre of the city and riot police blocked pro-Palestinian supporters trying to march toward the stadium where the match was being played.
Authorities said extra police would patrol the city in coming days and security will be beefed up at Jewish institutions in the city that has a large Jewish community and was home to Jewish Second World War diarist Anne Frank and her family as they hid from Nazi occupiers.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered two rescue planes to be sent to Amsterdam after the violence erupted despite a ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the stadium imposed by Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema, who had feared that clashes would break out between protesters and supporters of the Israeli club.
Issuing a statement condemning the attack, Mr Netanyahu’s office said: “The prime minister views this horrific incident with great severity and demands that the Dutch government and security forces act firmly and quickly against the rioters, and ensure the safety of our citizens.”
Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof said on X that he followed reports of the violence “with horror.”
“Completely unacceptable antisemitic attacks on Israelis. I am in close contact with everyone involved,” he added, saying that he had spoken to Mr Netanyahu and “emphasised that the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted. It is now quiet in the capital.”
Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa'ar, is heading to the Netherlands for an "urgent diplomatic visit", Israeli media reports. Earlier, Mr Sa'ar called the attack "a blaring alarm call for Europe and the world".
"Freedom loving countries, democracies, cannot allow unbridled hatred to roam the streets with impunity. As history has shown - what begins with persecution and violence against Jews never ends with the Jews."
Geert Wilders, the leader of the far-right Party for Freedom which won elections in the Netherlands last year – and who is a staunch ally of Israel – reacted to a video apparently showing a Maccabi fan being surrounded by several men.
“Looks like a Jew hunt in the streets of Amsterdam. Arrest and deport the multicultural scum that attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in our streets. Ashamed that this can happen in The Netherlands. Totally unacceptable,” Mr Wilders said.
Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir condemned the attacks, stating, “Fans who went to see a football game encountered antisemitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness,” in a post on X.
Israel’s national security ministry advised citizens in Amsterdam to remain in their hotels as a precaution.
We see with horror this morning, the shocking images and videos that since October 7th, we had hoped never to see again: an antisemitic pogrom currently taking place against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) November 8, 2024
This is a serious…
The largest-selling newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, quoted Israeli fans who said the attacks appeared to be planned.
President Isaac Herzog was among senior Israeli politicians who said the violence recalled the attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen last year as well as the anti-Semitic attacks on European Jews in the pogroms of previous centuries.
“We see with horror this morning, the shocking images and videos that since October 7th, we had hoped never to see again: an anti-Semitic pogrom currently taking place against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam,” he wrote in a message on the social media platform X.
The Israeli military announced a rescue mission with medical teams being deployed in coordination with the Dutch government.
“The mission will be deployed using cargo aircraft and include medical and rescue teams,” the military said.
