Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, strongly disputed Dutch authorities' claims about arrests linked to Thursday evening's violence in Amsterdam. “I am speechless. Amsterdam police have just confirmed that NO ONE was arrested during the Islamic Jewish hunt in Amsterdam on Thursday evening. All arrests were made before and during the football match and NOT during the pogrom “, he declared on X.
This statement contradicts the official police version which claims to have arrested dozens of people suspected of being involved in the attacks, four of whom remain in detention. The police have also launched an appeal to victims and witnesses with images of the events.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the events a “terrible anti-Semitic attack.” “We will not tolerate this. We will pursue the perpetrators. And I am deeply ashamed that this could happen in the Netherlands in 2024,” he told a meeting of EU leaders in Budapest .
For her part, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema condemned these acts, describing them as “an eruption of anti-Semitism that we hoped would never be seen again in Amsterdam.”
Israel's National Security Council said the wave of violence following the Maccabi Tel Aviv match appeared to be over. However, a level 2 alert remains in effect for the Netherlands, recommending “increased precautionary measures when in the country, in particular the concealment of Israeli symbols.”
Wilders, a fervent supporter of Israel, had already reacted on Friday on X: “A pogrom in the streets of Amsterdam. We have become the Gaza of Europe. Muslims with Palestinian flags chasing Jews. I will NOT accept this NEVER.”
