Amsterdam bans all protests after attacks on Israeli football fans

Amsterdam has banned all demonstrations in the Dutch capital for three days beginning on Friday, after Israeli football fans were attacked overnight in violence widely condemned as antisemitic by European leaders.

Dutch police said five people were hospitalised and 62 were detained after attackers “systematically targeted Israeli fans”. The supporters were in Amsterdam to watch a Europa League match between Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dutch side Ajax.

Ten of the people arrested, two of whom are minors, remain in police custody.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent two planes to the Netherlands to bring fans home, and is calling for increased security for the Jewish community.

Netanyahu and his Dutch counterpart, Dick Shoof, condemned the attacks as antisemitic.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “outraged” by the violence, and had spoken to Schoof.

“Antisemitism has absolutely no place in Europe” she said.

Other European leaders followed suit, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying the violence “recalls the most shameful hours in history”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “Anyone who attacks Jews is attacking all of us. Jews must be able to feel safe in Europe”.

His Austrian counterpart, Karl Nehammer, said he condemned antisemitic attacks “in particular when it takes place in the context of a sports event that should bring people together”.

‘Outburst of violence’

The violence in Amsterdam on Thursday erupted before the match, and continued after the game, which Ajax won 5-0.

Ahead of the game, a Palestinian flag was ripped off a building in the city centre and riot police blocked pro-Palestinian supporters from marching toward the stadium, according to Dutch broadcaster NOS.

Videos posted on social media showed chaos on the streets of Amsterdam, with men kicking one another and sirens blaring.

One widely circulated video shows the attackers chanting anti-Israeli slurs, with another showing football fans chanting anti-Arab slogans before the match started. Euronews has not independently verified either video.

Amsterdam’s acting police chief Peter Holla said that fans were “wilfully attacked” over the course of the night.

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“This outburst of violence toward Israeli supporters is unacceptable and cannot be defended in any way” a statement from Amsterdam police said.

Clashes erupted despite a ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration that had been imposed by Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema amid concerns about tensions between Israeli fans and local protesters.

Halsema said the Maccabi fans had been “attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks” by “antisemitic hit-and-run squads” who managed to evade 200 officers.

Authorities said additional security measures had been put in place in the city ahead of the match, but that a risk assessment made last month had found no concrete threat.

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Halsema has proposed that the Amsterdam City Council hold an emergency debate on the incident, which is currently being investigated.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander drew a link between the Holocaust and Thursday night’s violence, saying that the Netherlands had “failed the Jewish community.”

The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has sparked protests across Europe.

In March, the opening of a new Holocaust museum in Amsterdam led to pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the city.

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