Netanyahu wants to remove Israeli football fans from Amsterdam after “very violent incident”

After the football match between Ajax and the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, it was restless in various places in Amsterdam at the beginning of the night. There were incidents involving Israeli fans and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The police arrested 57 people.

Ten Israelis were injured, according to Israeli media. The Israeli news site Haaretz also spoke to Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters who stated that the Israelis were ambushed in several places in the city as they returned from the match by train.

Fireworks and riots

There was already tension in the air in the run-up to the match. Fireworks were set off and there were riots. Several dozen people were arrested. Earlier in the evening, police kept pro-Palestinian youth away from the Johan Cruijff Arena, where the match started at 9 p.m. They wanted to protest there against the arrival of Maccabi Tel Aviv. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema decided that the demonstration had to take place a kilometer away for fear of incidents.

Several videos from Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters are circulating on the internet showing that the Israelis used a lot of violence last night. For example, the supporters hit a taxi with long objects and the taxi driver himself was also allegedly attacked. Furthermore, a supporter climbed to the first floor of a house to remove a Palestinian flag from the window. That would have led to a lot of frustration among a number of Amsterdam residents, who then took action themselves.

Planes to Amsterdam

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks according to news agency Reuters of a “very violent incident” and wants to send two planes to Amsterdam to bring Israeli football fans to safety.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof also condemned last night’s violence. He speaks on X about “unacceptable attacks on Israelis”. Schoof also called Netanyahu to say that the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted. Geert Wilders speaks on X of “a hunt for Jews in the streets of Amsterdam” and that the mayor of Amsterdam “must resign today”. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema condemns the violence and says that the scale of the incidents will be mapped out. “This outburst of violence against Israeli supporters goes beyond all limits and cannot be justified in any way.”

The police in Amsterdam say it is not yet clear whether and how many people were injured. These were said to be short incidents “that resolved very quickly when we arrived.” “There were no injuries for which we had to call the ambulance. There may have been injured people who did not report or who treated themselves, but in that sense we were not involved,” the police in Amsterdam said.

The Red Devils will play against Israel on November 17. The international match will take place on Hungarian soil, just like last time, this time in Budapest. Due to the war that Israel is waging in Gaza and all the tensions that accompany it, no Belgian city wanted to organize the competition. Unlike the previous match between Belgium and Israel on September 6, supporters are welcome at the next match in Budapest. Barely 200 Belgian fans would make the trip to Hungary.