“So far, the number of arrests” in Amsterdam “is very low,” according to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
The new Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Saar, judged this Monday, November 11, the number of arrests in Amsterdam “very low” after the violence which broke out there on the sidelines of a football match on Thursday, November 7.
“I was informed by the mayor of Amsterdam that they have formed a special investigation team, but I can say that so far the number of arrests is very low,” Gideon Saar said during a press conference, specifying that Israel had offered its assistance in the investigation into this violence.
Sixty arrests
Israel offered its assistance in the investigation into the violence, he said.
Dutch police have reported around sixty arrests after the violence which occurred on the sidelines of the match between Ajax Amsterdam and the Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
Between 20 and 30 Maccabi fans were injured after being attacked by groups of individuals who, according to Dutch police, had responded to a call to target Jews launched on social media.
These clashes occurred in a context of increasing anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli acts since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas a little over a year ago in the Gaza Strip.
“It’s an explosion of anti-Semitism that I hope to never see again,” declared the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, who said she was “ashamed” of this violence. On Saturday, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp assured that a “thorough investigation will be carried out in the Netherlands”.
The match took place on Thursday in a generally calm atmosphere, even if some Israeli supporters did not respect the minute of silence in memory of the victims of the floods in Spain, a country which recently recognized the State of Palestine.
In a video posted on social networks, the origin of which could not be verified, what appeared to be fans of the Maccabi club sang songs in Hebrew hostile to the Palestinians.
