() – Israeli soccer fans were beaten and injured Thursday night in Amsterdam after a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in what the Netherlands called “anti-Semitic attacks.”
Amsterdam authorities reported Friday morning that five injured Israeli fans have already been released from hospital, and that between 20 and 30 more people were slightly injured. In total, 63 people were arrested and 10 remain in custody, police said.
Tensions had already been rising before Thursday’s match: several videos on social media showed Maccabi fans chanting anti-Arab insults, praising the Israeli military attacks in Gaza and shouting “fuck the Arabs.” It is unclear when those videos were filmed.
After the game, hundreds of Maccabi fans “were ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam,” the Israeli Embassy in the United States said via the social media platform X, sharing video images of the violence.
One video shows a man being kicked while lying on the ground, while another video shows a man being beaten by another who shouts “liberate Palestine” and “for the children, you son of a bitch.” has not yet been able to verify those videos.
Another video shows a man shouting “I’m not Jewish” as he is chased down the street, thrown to the ground and beaten.
Police said the atmosphere in the stadium was relatively calm and fans left without incident after Ajax won the match 5-0, but there were several clashes in the city center overnight.
The mayor of Amsterdam stated: “There can be tensions, there are many demonstrations and protests and we are always prepared for them, and of course they are related to the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing war. But what happened last night was not a protest. “It was a crime.”
“There is no excuse for the anti-Semitic behavior exhibited last night by the agitators who actively sought out Israeli fans to attack and assault them,” the local authorities of Amsterdam declared on Friday, adding that the Police intervened on several occasions to protect the fans and escort them to the hotels.
Amsterdam Police said earlier that they reinforced their presence in the city center on Wednesday night, citing “tensions” in several areas, a day before the game.
Officers “prevented a confrontation between a group of taxi drivers and a group of visitors arriving from the nearby casino” on Wednesday night, police said in a statement on X, mentioning another incident in which a Palestinian flag was knocked down in the center of Amsterdam by strangers.
On Thursday, pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to reach the Johan Cruyff stadium, even though the city had banned them from protesting there, Reuters reported.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X that he was in contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was “horrified by the anti-Semitic attacks against Israeli citizens.”
“This is completely unacceptable. “I am in close contact with all parties involved and have just spoken by phone with Netanyahu to emphasize that the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted,” he said, adding “the situation in Amsterdam is now calm again.”
Netanyahu on Friday received a report from the country’s Foreign Ministry on efforts to secure the return of Israeli citizens from Amsterdam. During the meeting, Netanyahu compared the anti-Semitic attacks against Israeli soccer fans to the Kristallnachtor “Krystal Night,” when the Nazi regime attacked Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues and homes across Germany in 1938.
“Tomorrow, 86 years ago, was the Kristallnacht: an attack against Jews, whatever Jews they may be, on European soil. Now it is back: yesterday we commemorated it in the streets of Amsterdam. That’s what happened. There is only one difference: in the meantime, the Jewish state has been established. We have to deal with it,” Netanyahu said, according to a government statement.
In another statement from his office, Netanyahu urged Dutch authorities to “act firmly and quickly against the rioters and ensure peace for our citizens.”
He initially said he was ordering the dispatch of “rescue aircraft” to help Israeli citizens, but his office later said it would focus on commercial flight solutions.
The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Sa’ar, decided to travel to the Netherlands after the attacks, which he condemned as “barbaric and anti-Semitic” and described as a “sounding alarm signal for Europe and the world.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Autonomous Government said in a statement on Friday that it “condemns the anti-Arab chants by the Israelis and the attacks against the symbolism of the Palestinian flag in Amsterdam.” He also called on the Dutch government to “protect Palestinians and Arabs in the Netherlands.”
Israel’s National Security Council has urged citizens to avoid Maccabi Tel Aviv’s match against Virtus Bologna in Italy on Friday night.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry is reviewing security for Israelis living abroad and for all future sporting events by Israeli teams in Europe, including improving cooperation with local authorities, an Israeli official told .
Following the Amsterdam incident, some people in France have called for next week’s match between the French and Israeli national soccer teams to be moved.
However, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau declared on Friday: “France is not backing down, as this would be equivalent to abdicating in the face of threats of violence and anti-Semitism.” Security measures are being taken for the match at the Stade de France near Paris, he added.
Meanwhile, UEFA, European football’s governing body, announced on Monday that the Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Turkish side Beşiktaş, which will be played at the end of November, will be moved to a neutral venue by decision of the Turkish authorities.
‘s Matthew Chance, Kareem Khadder and Lauren Izso contributed to this report.
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