Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned as “horrifying” the violent attacks by pro-Palestinian protesters in Amsterdam on fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The city’s police said they had started a major investigation into “multiple violent incidents” following the Uefa Europa League game between Ajax Amsterdam and Israel’s most storied club on Thursday night.
“So far, it is known that five injured people have been taken to hospital and 62 people have been arrested,” the police said on Friday, adding that they were also “aware of reports about a possible hostage situation and missing persons, but currently have no confirmation that this has actually happened”.
Local police had said they were “extra present” in the city in the run-up to the clash, adding in a post on X on Thursday that a Palestinian flag had been pulled from a facade by – currently unknown – persons” on Wednesday night.
The Israeli foreign ministry said at least 10 people were injured, and that it had lost contact with some of its citizens visiting the Netherlands.
Netanyahu described the incident as “horrifying” in a statement issued by his office after a phone call with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. He added that he viewed “with utmost gravity the planned antisemitic attack”.
The Israeli prime minister had earlier vowed to send two aircraft to the Netherlands to retrieve football fans, but the Israel Defense Forces said it had been instructed to cancel the mission.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the violence as an “antisemitic pogrom”.
Videos on social media showed at least one man being assaulted and crowds running through the streets. Fans told Israeli media that they were confronted by young Arab men after the game, and that many had since locked themselves in their hotel rooms and demanded police escorts to the airport.
The clashes took place despite the Amsterdam mayor banning any pro-Palestinian protests near the stadium.
The local authorities said in a statement on Friday that they had to intervene multiple times to protect Israeli fans. They said the incident “was very turbulent with several incidents of violence aimed at Maccabi supporters”.
The local authorities — which include the mayor, police chief and chief public prosecutor — are also in contact with the Dutch government, the Israeli embassy and representatives of the Jewish community in Amsterdam.
They said extra police forces would be available “to monitor and control the situation” with additional security of Jewish institutions, as requested by Netanyahu.
Schoof wrote on X that he was “horrified by the antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens”, adding that the perpetrators would be prosecuted.
Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, an ally of Netanyahu, seized upon the clashes to demand deportations of the “multicultural scum”.
“We have become the Gaza of Europe,” he said on X. “Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv is the oldest and most successful Israeli football team, winning the most league championships of any club in the country. The club’s website describes its values as steeped in Israeli history, with the team taking its name from the Maccabis, an ancient Jewish rebel army.
Israeli and European rightwing leaders have found common ground in recent years in suggesting that rising antisemitism is closely tied to Arab and Muslim immigration to western Europe.
