A football match was violently interrupted in Amsterdam. A group of Israeli fans were attacked by groups of people, who were alledgedy being urged to do so by people on social media. Five people were hospitalised as a result. These attacks have been linked to antisemitism.
The rise of anti-semitism had been on the rise since the beginning of the war in Gaza. It seemingly came to a head in a match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Pro-Palestine demonstrators had been barred from attending matches.
The police deployed 800 officers to try to maintain order during the match, with the police escorting Israeli fans and pro-Palestinian demonstrators; in a bid to keep the two sides apart. After the match, violence erupted in the city center. The Dutch police said some people riding scooters had kicked and beaten Israeli fans in hit-and-run attacks, while others pelted them with fireworks.
Youths on scooters and on foot crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then fleeing quickly to evade police, Amsterdam Mayor, Femke Halsema, said.
On Telegram, a social media platform, Halsema wrote, "There is talk of people going on a Jew hunt. That is so shocking and so despicable that I still cannot fathom it." Dutch Minister of Justice and Security, David van Weel, vowed to track down and prosecute the perpetrators.
Ofek Ziv, a Maccabi fan from the Israeli city of Petah Tikva, said someone threw a rock at his head, causing light bleeding, as he and a friend left the stadium. He said a group of men began to chase him, before he and his friend got into a taxi, picked up other fans and took shelter at a hotel. He said, "I’m very scared, it’s very striking and the police didn’t come to help us."
Despite the violence, another fan, Alyia Cohen, said that he would go back for further matches. He said, "We are not afraid of anything, ours is the people of Israel."
Police said that between 20-30 people were being hospitalised and 62 people were arrested; with 10 still in custody. This is according to public prosecutor, René de Beukelaer.
A statement by the office of Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyah, said he, "views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity. He demanded that the Dutch government take, "vigorous and swift action" against those involved.
These attacks haven't gone unnoticed. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said, "Antisemitism has absolutely no place in Europe, and we are determined to fight it and to fight all forms of hatred. We want Jewish life and culture to thrive in Europe."
Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, condemned the violence and flew home early from a European Union summit in Hungary.
Police said security will be beefed up at Jewish institutions across the city, which has a large Jewish community and was home to Jewish World War II diarist, Anne Frank and her family, as they hid from Nazi occupiers.
Halsema described the violence as, "an eruption of antisemitism that we had hoped never again to see in Amsterdam."
In the past, Ajax was known as a football club with links to Amsterdam’s Jewish community because visiting fans had to pass the city’s Jewish quarter to get to the club’s former stadium. Ajax fans sometimes wave the Star of David flags and chant the Dutch word for Jews.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, flew to Amsterdam on Friday and in a message on X, he said that hatred of Jews is "appearing in place after place after place."
Footage from the stands at the Cruyff Arena shows Israeli supporters refusing to observe a minute's silence for the victims of Valencia's recent flooding before kick-off. Chanting can also be heard in the background. The person who posted the clip claimed "illegal fireworks" were also set off and that the protest was the result of Spain cancelling an arms deal with an Israeli company.
After the game, large numbers of Maccabi fans were escorted into the Metro at Amsterdam Central station - around five-and-a-half miles away from the stadium.
In the aftermath of the attacks, Amsterdam had banned protests for three days. Mayor Halsema has said the Israeli fans were attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks.
Videos on social media showed riot police in action, with some attackers shouting anti-Israeli slurs. Footage also showed Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday evening's match.
Antisemitic incidents have surged in the Netherlands since Israel launched its assault on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza after the attacks on Israel by Hamas militants in October last year, with many Jewish organisations and schools reporting threats and hate mail.
The police were given an emergency stop-and-search powers in response to the unrest, which exposed deep anger over the Gaza-Israel conflict.
The attacks have also led to political fallout. The far-right leader, Geert Wilders, whose anti-Muslim party is the largest party in the Dutch Parliament, took to social media to attack what he called "radical Islam," using incendiary language.
Wilders also met with Gideon Saar, Israel’s newly appointed foreign minister, who travelled to the Netherlands in the wake of the incident.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Stephan van Baarle, the leader of DENK, a small political party focused on protecting diversity in the Netherlands, blamed the authorities for failing to stop what he called provocations by Israeli fans. "Where were the police when Maccabi thugs chanted genocidal and racist slogans about Gaza?" he said in a video posted to the party’s website.
Amsterdam police are holding four people suspected of committing "open violence" in the attacks this week on Israeli football fans, the Dutch public prosecutor’s office said Saturday. Dick Schoof, meanwhile, cancelled a trip to U.N. climate talks following the clashes, which were condemned by Dutch and Israeli officials as “antisemitic attacks.”
Authorities have not released the identities of the four suspects in custody. They were described as two minors suspected of open violence against an unknown person, an adult suspected of open violence against police officers, and a 26-year-old suspected of public violence based on camera images.
Authorities on Saturday said 62 people have been arrested. They expect more arrests as investigations continue.
I find this acts to be sickening. BThere's no room for behaviour of this kind in sport. In fact, there's no need for this type of behavioue anywhere period. Unfortunately, what's sad is that it will never cease to exist.
Antisemitism seems to be immortal. It will never go the way of the dodo. There will always be someone who has something against the Jews. Being Jewish, I get sick when I see or hear that word. I just can't wrap my head around why people have grudges against the Jewish faith. We are just ordinary people who just try to live a normal life like anyone else.
A shout out to Francine* for bringing up this story to me.
*pseudonym