Four days after the night of violence against Israeli supporters, tensions are still very high in Amsterdam (Netherlands). The Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, once again described “pure anti-Semitic violence and simple the attacks targeting Israeli supporters on Thursday evening on the sidelines of a match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv. “The shock, shame and anger linger”he declared, Monday, November 11, at a press conference. “We need strong action”vis-à-vis the perpetrators of the violence, continued the head of government, adding that “intolerance cannot be treated with tolerance”.
An “ambush” on the evening of the match
On Monday evening, the mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema delivered an updated account of these hours marred by violence, during an expected municipal council, confirming the testimonies and videos collected so far. Once again, she identified groups of individuals targeting supporters of the Israeli club, hitting and kicking them. Individuals also stopped passers-by in the street to ask them to show their passports, in order to verify if they were of Israeli nationality in order to beat them.
Between 20 and 30 Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were injured overnight from Thursday to Friday after being attacked by groups of individuals who, according to Dutch police, had responded to a call to target Jews launched on social networks. Five people were briefly hospitalized. Videos show groups of individuals stalking Israeli supporters, throwing objects at them, hitting them and mistreating them. “It’s even worse than an ambush”one of them testified to franceinfo.
“It was a plan organized by various teams and separate groups, with the aim of picking up single people and lynching them.”
An Israeli fanat franceinfo
“Palestinian sympathizers were throwing stones at cars at our hotel”said another.
Several videos of this violence are circulating on social networks. In particular, we see a man on the ground shouting that he is not Jewish to avoid being beaten. Or yet another, thrown into a canal, forced to scream '”Free Palestine” to be able to return to dry land. “I fell to the ground and ten people kicked me, shouting 'Palestine'”Adi Reuben told the BBC. This young man decides not to go to the hospital because he has heard that taxi drivers were involved in the violence. A British Jew said he was hit because he had come to the aid of an Israeli a little earlier. “They said, ‘You helped the Jew,’ and they hit me in the face and broke my glasses.”
“Incidents” already recorded the day before
Many Internet users also question the behavior of certain supporters of the Israeli club, whose ultra fringe is regularly accused of making violent remarks. On Wednesday evening, on the eve of the match, around fifty Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters notably burned a Palestinian flag on Dam Square and vandalized a taxi, said Peter Holla, police chief in the Dutch capital. Several drivers then launched online calls to mobilize against Israeli supporters. They took on 400 people when they came to play at the Holland Casino, according to Peter Holla. The police were dispatched to the scene and the Israeli citizens exfiltrated late at night.
The next day, match day, a large group of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans gathered in Dam Square around 1 p.m., according to the police chief. A few “incidents” took place and fireworks were set off but “the police managed to keep large groups at bay”according to Peter Holla. Several videos appeared on social networks. On one of them, Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters sing a song in Hebrew: “May the IDF win and screw the Arabs”. After the match, a young YouTuber spent long minutes following a group of Israeli supporters dressed in black, some carrying sticks, through the streets.
After the match, a large group of Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters also gathered in Dam Square, Mayor Femke Halsema said. “Some were walking with sticks in their hands and committing destruction.” “I know there are images of the behavior of Maccabi fans. This too is being investigated and it is important that all the facts are brought to lightsaid Prime Minister Dick Schoof. But there’s a big difference between destroying things and driving out Jews.”
A match closely monitored by the authorities
The municipality claims that the meeting had been carefully prepared in advance, as early as October, according to comments reported by the newspaper Het Paroolin conjunction with the national coordinator for the fight against terrorism and security. But this would not have identified any specific threat, according to the municipality. On the day of the match, the local authorities finally considered canceling the match, due to the incidents that occurred the day before. Before giving up, due to lack of legal basis.
“What has happened in recent days is the result of a toxic cocktail of anti-Semitism, hooligan behavior and anger over the war in Palestine and Israel.”
Femke Halsema, maire d'Amsterdamduring the municipal council on Monday, cited by “Het Parool”
The meeting, however, took place in a generally calm atmosphere. Except that 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.
Tensions in the following days
Individuals once again demanded passports from passers-by in the street on Saturday evening, while Israeli supporters had already left. This intimidation targeted people whose appearance, in the eyes of the attackers, suggested Jewish obedience, declared police commissioner Olivier Dutilh. In view of the general context, the authorities have decided to extend until Thursday morning an emergency order, which authorizes preventive searches and prohibits demonstrations.
Finally, an investigation was opened in Amsterdam after the fire on a tram on Monday evening. On his X account, shortly before 9 p.m., the Dutch police explained that“a large group of people” was involved in “nuisance” and had launched “among other things, fireworks on the vehicle, which caused the fire. The insult “kanker joden” (“Jewish cancer”) was also chanted several times, according to a video circulating on social networks. Arrests were carried out, without a link having yet been clearly established with the events that occurred a few days earlier.
A diplomatically sensitive matter
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp assured on Saturday that the Netherlands was carrying out a “thorough investigation” while the Jewish state is increasing its speeches to put pressure on the authorities. “So far, the number of arrests is very low”declared the new Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Saar. Dutch police say they made 62 arrests on match day (including 49 Dutch residents and 10 Israelis). Israel has offered to help in the investigation into the violence. Pending the conclusions of the latter, Maccabi Tel-Aviv must face Besiktas on November 28. The meeting, initially scheduled for Istanbul (Türkiye), will finally take place behind closed doors in the city of Debrecen (Hungary).
