Dn the night of Thursday 7 to Friday 8 November, supporters of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel-Aviv, present in the Dutch capital for a Europa League match, were violently attacked by groups of individuals on scooters in the streets of Amsterdam, sparking the reaction of Dutch King Willem-Alexander, reports the BBC.
The sovereign of the Netherlands recalled the need to guarantee the security of the Jewish community in the country, stressing that history demonstrates how “intimidation goes from bad to worse”, adding that the country could not ignore “a anti-Semitic behavior.” According to the authorities, five people were hospitalized, many injured were counted and around sixty people were arrested.
Major political reactions
The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, also expressed her support for the affected Israelis: “My heart goes out to the victims and their families here and in Israel as well,” declared the city councilor on Friday, November 8, during a press conference, specifying that the anti-terrorist coordination had not reported any specific threats surrounding this match. She also condemned messages shared on Telegram calling for violent acts against Jews. The platform claimed to have removed a group involved in these incitements to violence.
Shortly after the situation escalated as fans moved from the Johan Cruyff Arena to Amsterdam city center, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof immediately cut short his attendance at the EU leaders' summit in Budapest, where he declared that he had followed the development of the situation with horror: “The perpetrators will be sought and prosecuted”, he promised on his X account. An additional shock because they took place the day before the commemoration of Kristallnacht, the Nazi pogroms of 1938.
Dark hours
About three-quarters of Dutch Jews perished in the Holocaust, a painful memory that the king echoed by declaring: “Jews must feel safe in the Netherlands, everywhere and all the time. We protect them and will not abandon them,” Willem-Alexander promised.
Before the match, tensions were already present, with altercations involving Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Incidents had been reported on both sides, including the destruction of a Palestinian flag by Israeli supporters, which led to the arrest of several people.
Unverified footage shows supporters chanting “anti-Arab” slogans and setting off fireworks. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry denounced the attacks on Palestinian symbols and called on the Netherlands to protect Palestinians and Arabs residing in the country. The national coordination team for the fight against anti-Semitism in the Netherlands expressed its “disgust” at this readiness to violence.
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Taxi drivers also allegedly participated in the attacks, according to the Jewish Central Committee of the Netherlands (CJO), which accuses them of having targeted individuals in groups. In response to the events, Israeli airline El Al established free repatriation flights to Israel.
The violence has raised questions about the safety of Israeli fans in Europe. Italy has increased security around a EuroLeague basketball game in Bologna, although no incidents have been reported.
