Israeli football fans attacked: Amsterdam mayor condemns ‘hit and run’ attacks on Israeli football supporters

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Adi Reuben, a 24-year-old Maccabi Tel Aviv fan who was visiting Amsterdam, tells me about the moment he was attacked and kicked on the floor by a group of young men.

“Last night we got off the
metro station and started walking towards the Mozart hotel where we were staying,” he says.

“More than 10 men who looked Arab or Turkish just came up
to me and my friends and asked us ‘where are you from’. They shouted ‘Jewish, Jewish, IDF, IDF’.

“They started to mess with me and I realised I had to run, but it was dark and I didn’t know where to go.

“I
fell to the floor and ten people were kicking me. They were shouting ‘Falestin’ [Palestine].
They were kicking me on the floor for about a minute, then they walked off,
they weren’t afraid of anything.

“I realised I had full blood on my nose and my nose was broken and it is
very painful. I also couldn’t see well for about 30 minutes after it happened.

“I am
getting on an Israeli plane which came to rescue us this afternoon and will get medical treatment back home.”

He adds: “This was a specific
attack that was organised beforehand.”