Almost three days after the violence on the sidelines of the football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Dutch capital is still in shock this Sunday. Condemnations have flowed internationally, and the Dutch police have opened an investigation. She is expected to focus part of her efforts on studying videos of the incident, which could lead to further arrests. We take stock of the progress of the investigations.
Who was arrested?
Following the violence that occurred during the night from Thursday to Friday, sixty-two people were initially arrested. And a 63rd was additionally arrested after using images, Amsterdam police spokesperson Marijke Stor told AFP. Among these people arrested, around forty were arrested for disturbing public order. They received a fine and were released, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf said this Sunday.
Ten other people are suspected of having uttered insults, vandalism or possession of fireworks, continues the same newspaper. Four people, including two minors, were still in detention this Saturday, before being presented to a judge at the start of the week, the prosecution said.
How do the Dutch police proceed?
In order to expand its investigative resources, the Dutch police called on the population to send them any video of the violence. A dedicated team continues to exploit the images available, which could lead to the arrest of other individuals. Furthermore, the authorities are calling on people involved in these outbursts of violence to report to the police, adds De Telegraaf.
Video“Unimaginable”, “scary”: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in shock after night of violence in Amsterdam
At this stage, it is not clear whether Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters and/or Israelis are among the suspects. Investigators are also studying the possibility of taxi drivers being involved in a coordinated attack: on Wednesday, tensions had already arisen when drivers attacked 400 Maccabi supporters at the Holland Casino in Amsterdam. Violence occurred after some supporters burned a Palestinian flag in the central Dam Square and vandalized a taxi.
What do we see in some of the videos of the incident?
The investigation will focus in particular on the study of videos from the night of the violence, in order to clarify the facts, while tensions were already high before the match. In a video posted on social networks, the origin of which could not be verified, individuals appearing to be fans of the Maccabi club chant in Hebrew “May the IDF (Israeli army) win!” We're going to fuck the Arabs! “.
After the match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, groups of individuals attacked supporters of the Israeli club, before fleeing on scooters between each attack, in several neighborhoods of the city. Five people were briefly hospitalized. Videos authenticated by AFP show groups of individuals stalking Israeli supporters, throwing objects at them, hitting them and mistreating them. Between 20 and 30 Maccabi fans suffer injuries.
How will Israel help?
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar offered the Netherlands Israeli help in the investigation, help the Netherlands accepted. However, the conditions of this aid remain to be specified. At the same time, Israel dispatched planes to the Netherlands to repatriate several hundred supporters. Additional flights were also planned for this Saturday. In the Netherlands, the city of Amsterdam has implemented emergency measures. Security has been reinforced in sensitive locations and demonstrations are temporarily banned. Several pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered despite this ban were also arrested this Sunday, on Dam Square, in the center of Amsterdam.
