A soccer match between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax of Amsterdam sparked violence in the Dutch capital and a firestorm of controversy, an incident which has formed part of the abuse which have been experienced across Europe in recent times.
The authorities have indicated that investigations were being carried out to determine the what was the cause of the incident that has sparked controversy across Europe. The officials have disclosed the incident included the activities of rioters who attacked the supporters of Israel and assaulted them, which was an inflammatory and violent action by some of the Israeli fans.
The officials in the country have issued some emergency rules which have banned all kinds of protest in the city, which will remain till Thursday when the state of security at the Jewish sites has been enriched with the ban on face covers.
On Wednesday, November 6th, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans commenced arriving for the game in the Europa League, the second-biggest Europe-wide club soccer competition behind the Champions League. Israeli clubs have played in UEFA competitions since 1992.
Amsterdam’s municipal security committee has disclosed that the game was placed at high risk from the angle of football, and there was no rift between the two teams and their supporters in an official report released on Tuesday from their office. The committee also disclosed that they had consulted the police, the Teams authorities on soccer hooliganism and European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, before the inspection.
Ajax, the Netherlands’ most successful team, has historically drawn fans from Amsterdam’s Jewish community. Supporters sometimes carry Star of David flags to matches, and the club also has many Muslim supporters.
According to the report from the group of officials known as the triangle — Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema; René de Beukelaer, the city’s chief prosecutor; and Police Chief Peter HollaThe evening was very peaceful in the area, the police said lots of aggressive messages were passed through social media which were monitored; the messages were also sent threatening the Maccabi fans,
The police also noted that they had seen the desire to take action and mobilize its officers to specific locations, the report said.
The police report also disclosed that at about 11 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET), four people were arrested after pro-Palestinian graffiti was streamed at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where the game was set to take place Thursday, the police speaking on the figures deployed around the city noted that around 1,200 officers were sent out across the city.
The activities continued to unfold on Thursday, November 7th. Early in the morning, a video posted on X and analysed by NBC showed that the video was taken in Rokin, a major street in central Amsterdam. The video indicated a crowd of people cheering a man who was on top of a building bringing down a Palestinian flag. Some of the crowd was seen chanting “Ole” and “F— you, Palestine.”
The video also showed a police vehicle driving past the area while fans moved away from it. The video did not show whether the authorities had taken action after the car drove past.
According to the official reports, it has been indicated that the group had split, with some walking toward the city’s famed red-light district chanting slogans. Some in the crowd wore masks, which informed the decision to ban the use of masks in the city.
Some of the members of the gang had gone on to remove their belts and attacked a Taxi driver, while others were vandalised.
The taxi drivers went on to mobilize so that its members could come. Some of the drivers were said to have gone out to the Holland Casino, where 400 Israeli supporters were, and the police were able to transport the fans away through the use of buses, the report said.
The reports further noted that the little confrontation continued to erupt around the casino. Later, the triangle discussed cancelling the game but concluded that it was “untenable” because large numbers of fans were already in the city.
After the police were prepared, according to the report, at about 1 pm, local a large number of Maccabi followers assembled in the city’s central Dam Square,
Numerous videos were shared through social media. Some of them were analysed and geolocated showed some of the fans chanting anti Arab slogans in front of the square’s National Monument.
The video analysis showed that later that day, some of the Maccabi fans were seen singing Death to the Arabs” and “Let the IDF win. We will f— the Arabs,” the fans were also seen tearing down another Palestinian flag.
Pro-Palestinian groups had initially planned to protest outside the Johan Cruyff Arena during the game, but Halsema, the mayor, said at a news conference Friday that she moved the demonstration to a remote location.
In what could be seen as solidarity, Amsterdam, like many cities across the world, has been the scene of large protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 43,000 people, according to health officials in the blockaded enclave. Israel’s invasion of Gaza followed Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, in which about 1,200 people were killed, and Palestinian militants took around 250 hostages.
In a short video that was published on the social media pages before the start of the game, at 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET), the video showed the Maccabi fans jeering, whistling and setting off flares for a minute’s silence for the victims of deadly flooding in Spain. A sign in the stadium read, “In memory of the flood victims in Valencia.”
The act led to a hug criticism on social media but some of the fans of the Israeli team have claimed that they did not hear the call for silence before the game. The game had gone on and ended at 1 pm local time After watching their team get beaten 5-0, many Maccabi fans made their way back to their hotels and the city center.
On Friday, November 8th, after the game ended, within an hour, the city started to see the security situation fall apart.
According to the police report reported on Tuesday, the security problems were expected because of the messages sent through the social media pages. The messages confirmed that a large group was preparing to confront the Maccabi fans. The officials went on to make public some of the screenshots from the messages that had called for a “Jew hunt.”
Maccabi fans in the area were repeatedly targeted in hit-and-run attacks by pro-Palestinian agitators, according to the statement. Police laboured to suppress the violence, and some of the fans were severely injured.
Reports indicated that in the past when it looked like traditional hooliganism when the supporters of different teams moved in to fight each other, the case was more difficult for the police as the agitators moved into the incident and made it more difficult. The police disclosed that the agitators were moving in “small groups, on foot, by scooter or car, to attack Maccabi supporters briefly and then vanish again.
A video verified by NBC News showed a man crouching on the ground. He said I’d give you my money. His attacker shouted back and said this is for the children! For the children, motherf—-r. Free Palestine now.
Some other visual content published on social media showed people being kicked and beaten in the street. It was not immediately clear who the attackers or the victims were.
On the said date, at about midnight local time, a large group of Maccabi supporters were seen in the Dam Square area; some of the supporters were seen walking with sticks in their hands, committed to carrying out any form of violence, the police said.
A video taken early Friday by Bender, a popular YouTube channel, showed a cluster of men, some modelling in Maccabi fan colours, selecting pipes and boards from a construction site and then chasing and hitting a man. Around 2:45 a.m., the Israeli ambassador contacted Halsema, the mayor, and said there was “lots of anger” in Israel over the events in Amsterdam.
Videos posted on social media show some of the Maccabi fans at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport singing, “Why is school out in Gaza? There are no children left there.” The video was verified by NBC News. The violence led to the international community’s attention, which got several condemnations. The Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he was “horrified by the antisemitic attacks.
While reacting to the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likened the incident to Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, in November. 9, 1938, when Nazi mobs in Germany launched violent riots aimed at expelling the Jewish community and vandalising their homes, synagogues and businesses.
While speaking on the incident also, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the special U.S. envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, said the violence was “terribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom.
In a public post made on X, the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that the images that were sent from Amsterdam were horrifying and highly shameful for all the Europeans.
UEFA, which organizes the Europa League, condemned the violence, saying it trusted authorities to “identify and charge as many of those responsible for such actions as possible.
According to the official report, a total of 62 people were arrested on suspicion of public acts of violence, vandalism and disturbing public order. Forty-nine were Dutch, ten were Israeli, and the nationalities of three are unknown, the triangle’s report said, adding that 45 were fined and four remained in jail. Two minors were “suspected of committing serious assault.
On Sunday, November 10th, the police disclosed that they had gone on to detain not less than 50 people after 24 hours of relative calm in the city. The police noted that the persons arrested were seen in a pro-Palestinian rally in the capital city, and they had failed to respect the ban that was placed on rallies and protests; the police also disclosed that they had been loaded in a bus and dropped off close to the exit from the city 340 persons.
In an announcement made on Sunday, the authority had gone on to extend the ban on the protest till Thursday.
In a bid to reduce the level of tension. French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced that he would attend a match between Israel’s and France’s national teams Thursday to promote fraternity and solidarity after the events in Amsterdam.
Israel, meanwhile, urged its citizens to avoid attending cultural and sports events abroad over the coming week. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Israel had intelligence that pro-Palestinian groups abroad intended to harm Israelis in cities in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and other countries.
With tensions heightened, dozens of people set a tram on fire in Amsterdam on Monday night.
Video geolocated by NBC News showed a group throwing fireworks and other blunt objects at the tram, with some shouting “Cancer Jews.” Police said it was unclear who started the unrest and whether it was related to what happened last week.
The police went on to disclose that five more arrests were made over the weekend; the statement released on Monday noted that the persons arrested were all Dutch residents ages 18 to 37 who were “suspected of public acts of violence against persons Thursday night.
