“They cut my face, broke my tooth and hit my son”

Amsterdam This Thursday, November 7, he lived a night of terror. Violence was once again present in a soccer match, but this time for a nature that has nothing to do with the beautiful game. A pitched battle between a pro-Palestinian group and the followers of the Israelis of the Maccabi Tel Aviv which caused panic in the Dutch capital.

Ambushes, fire, punches, broken teeth, people beaten to the ground until they were unconscious… Total cruelty that left at least 10 injured, more than 60 arrested and two missing.

A confrontation that reached its peak after the end of the match between Ajax and Maccabi, but whose origins went back to the previous day. The Dutch media indicate that Maccabi hooligans walked through the streets of the city removing Palestinian flags from balconies and shouting against Palestine. The Israeli press describes what happened as a “planned ambush.”

After all, as usually happens in this type of pitched battles at the exit of a football stadium, the righteous usually sin for sinners. one of them was Yaakov Masri, a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan who had come with his son to watch the match, and who said what happened to Israel News Channel 13.

“They started beating us, broke my face, knocked out my tooth and cut my lip,” he said. “My son was punched twice in the face,” added Yaakov Masri, who claimed to have called the police to send them a patrol car, but “they said they were busy with other incidents.”

Hours later they found help and were escorted to their hotel room, completely barricaded with tables to block the door. Yarin Chai Yitzhak was also taken to his accommodation, and he reported that “they punched me in the face and kicked me in the stomach.”

Panic in the streets

The atmosphere around the Johan Cruyff Arena was very tense from the start. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, whose ultras had removed Palestinian flags from several balconies of houses near their accommodation, marched through the streets of Amsterdam chanting “let the IDF win.”

Before the crash, arrests were already made for various altercations, but everything broke out after 11:00 p.m. An ambush by the pro-Palestinian group on any Maccabi fan. They waited for them in groups of 10 and 15 people near the subway, on corners, in alleys… until panic broke out.

Numerous fans of the Israeli club were persecuted and violently attacked by pro-Palestinians. With fists, with sticks and even with knives. Countless videos were shared on social networks evidencing the seriousness of the matter.

Cars were forced to stop due to a pitched battle that invaded the roads, or even to avoid running over unconscious people on the asphalt. Some of those who hid inside portals were also not saved, and they ended up receiving a beating.

Absolute rejection

The violent acts experienced in Amsterdam generated a multitude of responses from the political leaders of both countries. Without going any further, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he will send two planes to the Netherlands to pick up Maccabi fans.

He also called for an emergency act Femke Halsema, mayor of Amsterdam, who announced that the city is designated as a “security risk area” after what she considered a “crime” reminiscent of “pogroms.”

“Kids on scooters toured the city looking for Israeli fans. It was ‘hit and run’. I understand very well that this brings back memories of the pogroms,” said Halsema, who stated that “a call was made on Telegram to hunt down Jews.” ” in Amsterdam, which “is a shame” and is investigating whether the violence was “premeditated.”