NOS News•yesterday, 4:18 PM•Amended yesterday, 8:16 PM
There is a lot of police presence in Amsterdam in the run-up to Ajax’s match against Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv. It was sometimes restless in the city center this afternoon. Tonight a group of demonstrators tried to push through a blockade to get to the Arena. The clubs will meet there tonight in the Europa League at 9 p.m.
Pro-Palestinian activists initially wanted to demonstrate in front of the Johan Cruijff Arena tonight against the arrival of Maccabi Tel Aviv, but Mayor Halsema did not allow this due to the security risks. The demonstration was therefore moved to the Anton de Komplein in Zuidoost, not far away.
About 300 people who had gathered there around 7 p.m. still tried to get to the Johan Cruijff Arena. At the Amsterdamse Poort shopping center, the activists were driven back by the police, who are present in large numbers.
The demonstrators shouted, among other things, ‘free Palestine’, ‘no justice, no peace’, ‘fuck the police’ and ‘allahu akbar’.
The organizer of the pro-Palestinian demonstration explains why they are demonstrating around the match:
Pro-Palestinian demonstration against the arrival of Israeli supporters in Maccabi Tel Aviv
Hundreds of Maccabi fans gathered on Dam Square this afternoon. There were also some pro-Palestine demonstrators. Fireworks were set off and there were some riots when groups chanted pro-Palestinian slogans towards Israeli fans.
The police arrested a total of more than twenty people. They are suspected of various offenses, such as disturbing public order and possession of fireworks. Their identities have not been revealed.
These supporters say they don’t want to look for trouble:
Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters: ‘Sports and politics are separate’
Several supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv were searched by the police, who were present in large numbers in and around the square.
Because of the competition, Mayor Halsema has decided to allow the police to carry out preventive searches in certain parts of the city. This concerns Dam Square, the Red Light District, Amsterdam Central Station and the area around the Johan Cruijff Arena.
Ajax had called on supporters to come to the stadium on time. The gates of the Arena opened at 7 p.m., because access control will be more extensive than normal. For example, cars entering the parking garage are checked with police dogs.
According to the police, it was already restless in the city last night. For example, a Palestinian flag was pulled from a facade on Rokin and officers intervened on Max Euweplein because a group of taxi drivers and a group of visitors to a casino sought confrontation with each other.
