Tense night in Amsterdam: why Israeli Maccabi fans were attacked in the Netherlands

The night of this Thursday, November 7 The match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv was played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Amsterdam, The Netherlands .

However, the football match valid for the Europa League ended with a series of riots and clashes between club supporters .

After the end of the sporting event – with a victory of five goals to nil for the home team -, attacks were recorded against the team’s supporters Israel and their provocations towards the Palestinian community according to several videos.

Municipal authorities report that At least five people were hospitalized and 62 others were arrested by the police forces.

This scenario led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order send two rescue planes for attacked supporters while new Foreign Affairs chief Gideon Saar said he would travel to Amsterdam for an “urgent diplomatic visit”.

For his part, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, wrote in a message on “horrified by anti-Semitic attacks against Israeli citizens” .

“It’s something totally unacceptable . “I am in close contact with all parties involved,” the authority said.

Schoof also promised that “the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted” .

Various videos shared on social networks report on very violent acts which took place Thursday evening in Amsterdam.

In many of these recordings you can hear shouts and slogans that allude to war in the Middle East .

It must be remembered that the conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, when the militant group Hamas carried out a direct offensive against Israeli territory .

Their armed operation left 1,200 dead and 250 hostages captured, of whom nearly a hundred remain captive.

After this episode, Israeli forces responded with continued attacks in the Gaza Strip .

According to local health authorities, These caused more than 42,000 deaths .

The situation shows no signs of a ceasefire and has degenerated to a point where Israel clashes with Hamas in Gaza, with Hezbollah in Lebanon and with Iran with the Houthis of Yemen and with Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq.

Cross-attacks and frequent threats of reprisals have increased concerns about the possibility of a wider war in the region .

Regarding what happened In Amsterdam, several videos show beatings, as well as shouts and slogans alluding to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. and the war in the Middle East.

One of the videos shows subjects running along an avenue to use vehicles, with the aim of restraining and hitting other people while cars honk their horns.

Another show a man lying in the middle of the street, while some subjects attack him with kicks and it does not reflect the ability to get up or move much.

A third watch an individual sitting against his will on the ground, insisting that people stop hitting him and let him go.

“It’s for the kids, son of a…!” Liberate Palestine now! one of the attackers shouts at him, referring to the victims of the war in Gaza and the conflict in the Middle East.

Even if the incidents concentrated after the match, It is not clear when or where the fighting began. .

Amsterdam authorities said in a statement that “supporters They were attacked in several places in the city” and “the police had to intervene on several occasions”. protect Israeli fans and escort them to hotels.

“Despite the massive police presence, Israeli fans injured “, they added in their note, to which the international press agency had access, P.A. .

Under this line, they stressed that “this explosion of violence against Israeli supporters is unacceptable and cannot in any way be defended “.

“There is no excuse for the anti-Semitic behavior displayed last night for the rioters.

For the same day of the match between Ajax and Maccabi A pro-Palestinian demonstration was planned near the Johan Cruyff stadium .

However, from the mayor’s office They ordered her to be transferred to a more distant area for security reasons.

The information collected by the aforementioned agency specifies that The police had to interrupt some activists who were trying to advance. to the venue of the sporting event.

Videos published on social networks and verified by the New York Times show to a group of individuals tearing down a Palestinian flag from a building .

While this is happening, Anti-Arab chants can be heard shouting .

Another video reviewed by the British media Daily Mail depicts a similar situation, in which Subjects throw a Palestinian flag from a window until it breaks, then celebrate the act. .

A file examined by P.A. shows dozens of Maccabi fans gathered at Dam Square in Amsterdam, where they lit flares with a heavy police presence around.

Likewise, a recording verified by the Times show the aceIsraeli club fans escorted by police to metro station .

As they went down the escalator, They can be heard singing insulting and provocative remarks against the Arab community in Hebrew. .

There are also images that show an individual hitting a taxi with a crowbar a situation which led the driver to leave the scene.

According to the aforementioned media, Amsterdam police said their troops “They prevented a clash between a group of taxi drivers and a group of visitors” .

A report from the Qatar-based news network, Al Jazeera declares that The clashes are the result of an accumulation of tensions over a few days.

“Hundreds of Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters arrived in Amsterdam, They held a very noisy demonstration in the main square before the incident, waving Israeli flags and also removed a Palestinian flag. ”said a correspondent of the aforementioned media from the capital of the Netherlands.

Councilor Jazie Veldhuyzen said: Al Jazeera that Maccabi fans ‘started attacking houses in Amsterdam with Palestinian flags’ .

He argued that “That’s where the violence started” .

“In response, the people of Amsterdam mobilized and countered the attacks launched Wednesday by the hooligans from Maccabi “, he added.

Dutch police said that An investigation into the incidents has been opened performed in Amsterdam.

Mayor Femke Halsema said at a press conference on Friday that “This is a terrible time for our city” .

“I am very bothered by the behavior which was broadcast last night,” he said in statements retrieved by cnn .

At the same time, the advisor said: “There can be tensions, there are many demonstrations and protests and we are always prepared for them. and of course they are linked to the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing war.

“But what happened last night wasn’t a protest… It was a crime” » said Halsema.

Amsterdam authorities said More police patrols will be deployed in the city in the coming days and security will be increased at Jewish institutions according to P.A..