Attacks against Israeli soccer supporters occurred in Amsterdam.
LONDON— After Israeli soccer fans who were visiting Amsterdam were attacked in the streets, prominent Dutch politicians denounced a violent night in the city.
While Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, stated on social media that he intends to make an urgent trip to the Netherlands for a “unplanned visit,” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he had followed news reports about the “antisemitic attacks” on Israeli supporters of the Tel Aviv Maccabi soccer team “with horror,” and that the violence had been “completely unacceptable.”
Have been following the news from Amsterdam and am horrified by the antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens. This is completely unacceptable. I am in close contact with all parties involved and have just spoken to @IsraeliPM Netanyahu by phone to stress that the perpetrators will…
— Dick Schoof (@MinPres) November 8, 2024
בסמיכות לציון ״ליל הבדולח״ שוב מרימה האנטישמיות הברברית את ראשה המכוער על אדמת אירופה. האנטישמיות החדשה ממוקדת בשלילת זכותה של המדינה היהודית להתקיים ובזכותה להגן על עצמה. בהאג ראינו את מהלכי מוסדות המשפט הבינלאומיים, שהם כולם פוליטיים, שמטרתם לחסל את זכותה של ישראל – המדינה…
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) November 8, 2024
“A blaring alarm call for Europe and the world,” according to Saar, the incident gave “unbridled hatred the freedom to roam the streets with impunity.” Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, first called it a “very violent incident.”
Following multiple altercations between Israeli supporters and Amsterdam locals in the city center late into the evening, Amsterdam police said that 62 persons had been taken into custody.
Femke Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam, denounced “hit-and-run” attacks on the visiting supporters during a press conference on Friday. The fans had come to watch their team play the Dutch powerhouse Ajax in an annual soccer tournament that features teams from all around Europe.
She added that for hours, local males on motorbikes had been pursuing Israeli supporters, posing a threat to Jewish culture and life in Amsterdam.
Before the soccer match, she claimed to have tried to engage Dutch counterterrorism officials, but she was informed that there were no “concrete threats” from either players or spectators.
Around ten attackers kicked and struck 24-year-old Israeli fan Adi Reuben, breaking his nose while yelling “Jewish, IDF” — a reference to the Israel Defense Forces — according to the BBC.
After being informed about the violence by a local restaurant owner, another fan, Joni Pogrebetsy, told the Reuters news agency that he had experienced it while returning to his hotel in the center. He claimed that because police officers were “really late,” “a lot of people were already hurt, injured.”
Five people were treated at a hospital before being released, according to Dutch police chief Peter Holla, while an online video purportedly showed an Israeli fan being assaulted until he lost consciousness.
However, Holla, who spoke at a news conference about his own “really shocked” reaction, also claimed that Tel Aviv Maccabi supporters had attacked a taxi and set a Palestinian flag on fire in the city, and that fighting between the various factions had continued into the early hours of Friday morning, with another 30 Maccabi supporters suffering less serious injuries.
Online videos appear to show Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters yelling racist anti-Arab slurs and slogans against Palestinians. Some of these supporters are notorious in Israel for their violent actions against Palestinian athletes.
Police patrols will be greatly increased to prevent further violence, and protests will be prohibited until the weekend, according to authorities.
From London, Willem Marx covered the story for the digital platform. From Brussels, Teri Schultz provided a broadcast report.
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