A cautious calm returned to the streets of the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, after a night that witnessed violence that extended until the dawn hours, after Israeli fans were attacked by Palestinian supporters, which led to five people being injured, according to medical sources.
Dutch police forces intervened to disperse demonstrators in the heart of Dam Square in the center of the capital, Amsterdam, following the end of a football match between the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv, which was a guest of the Dutch team Ajax Amsterdam at the Johan Cruyff Arena on the outskirts of the capital.
The Dutch police arrested dozens of those who pursued Israeli demonstrators and assaulted them by kicking and beating them, according to video clips circulated on social networking sites, while video clips showed a car deliberately hitting an Israeli fan, while demonstrators threw one of the fans into a river and demanded that he chant pro-Palestinian slogans, while he was forced to Another chanted the phrase “Long live Palestine” while being beaten by angry demonstrators.
European leaders and officials condemned the attacks on Israeli fans in Amsterdam, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the attacks and considered them anti-Semitic, pledging to continue working to combat hatred in Europe, while Dutch Prime Minister Dijk Skhoff condemned the attacks on football fans. Israelis, describing it as “horrific” and an “indicator of growing anti-Semitism in the Netherlands”.
“I am ashamed of what happened in the Netherlands… It was a terrible night,” Skov told reporters on the sidelines of the European Union leaders’ summit in Budapest.
He added that he would leave the summit early Friday afternoon to return to Amsterdam.
Through videos promoted on social media platforms and instant messaging applications, some of the people who chased the Israelis can be heard speaking in the Moroccan dialect alongside Dutch and English, chanting angry expressions in support of the Palestinian cause, after Maccabi Tel Aviv fans removed Palestinian flags that were hanging on some buildings. Amsterdam.
Confrontations broke out after the match ended, which was attended by about 3,000 Israelis, according to Dutch websites, including some who spread out in the streets chanting slogans in support of the war on Gaza.
The events of the match showed that the Israeli fans lit fire torches and whistled, after the fans were asked to stand for a minute in silence to mourn the lives of those killed in the floods that struck southern and eastern Spain last week.
Activists justified the behavior of the Israeli masses as a manifestation of protest against Spain’s support of the Palestinians and its recognition of the Palestinian state, a few months ago.
The Dutch police deployed about 800 members around the stadium, in anticipation of an outbreak of violence, and prevented about 200 activists from a movement calling itself “For Palestine” from approaching the stadium. The Dutch police also accompanied the procession of Israeli fans as they left the stadium and reached the stadium. Downtown, where violence broke out.
The Dutch police said that they had begun investigating dozens of those who were arrested in connection with the violence, and some of them were arrested while chasing Israeli fans without revealing their identities or nationalities.
Despite the Israeli team’s loss, hundreds of its fans went out in celebratory processions in the streets of the capital, Amsterdam, carrying Israeli flags and chanting slogans considered provocative toward Arabs and Palestinians.
Some Israeli fans also climbed the facades of some buildings to tear down Palestinian flags hung on some balconies, chanting obscene slogans against the Palestinians, according to circulated video clips.
Amsterdam police said, on Friday, that 5 people were taken to hospital and 62 people were arrested after what the authorities described as “systematic acts of violence,” and stated in a post on the “X” platform that they had begun a major investigation into several incidents, and would send additional patrols in Amsterdam in the coming days. Next, security will be strengthened at Jewish institutions in the city.
Before that, a statement issued by the Amsterdam municipality, the city police, and the public prosecutor’s office stated that “the night was very turbulent, and witnessed several violent incidents targeting Maccabi fans.”
The document, whose contents were published by the Associated Press, added that those who were called “anti-Semitic rioters” deliberately “attacked and assaulted supporters of the Israeli team.”
On the other hand, Dutch media reported that the Palestinian flag was torn down from a building in the city center, and that riot police prevented supporters of the Palestinian cause from trying to head towards the Johan Cruyff Stadium, where the match was being held, which ended with the Israeli team losing by five goals. For nothing.
Two planes belonging to the Israeli company El Al arrived at Schiphol Airport in the capital, Amsterdam, to transport fans returning to Israel, where a clear deployment of Dutch security forces was seen in the vicinity of the airport, while the city’s hotels were empty, during the hours of Friday evening, of any Israeli fans, according to Dutch media.
The mayor of Amsterdam announced the cancellation of any demonstrations over the weekend, and a demonstration that had been previously authorized next week to demand an end to the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon was cancelled.
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