Israel decries ‘pogrom’ in Amsterdam as soccer fans come under attack by rioters

Israeli soccer fans came under an apparently organized, widespread attack by anti-Israel rioters in Amsterdam Thursday night following a match. Dutch security forces appeared helpless to protect the tourists as they were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Palestiniian slogans as they hunted, beat and harassed the Israelis.

Israeli officials said 10 citizens were injured. Up to 10 people were at one point out of contact with their families, but by 3 p.m. Friday all were accounted for following the hours of overnight violence, apparently perpetrated largely by local Muslims and Arabs. Hundreds more people huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked again when trying to reach their flights home.

The leaders of Israel and the Netherlands condemned what they called antisemitic attacks on the fans of soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv before and after the Europa League soccer match between their team and Ajax.

Dutch authorities said by morning that the situation had calmed down. Early on Friday morning, Israel’s Foreign Ministry advised all Israeli citizens not to leave their hotels as it worked with local authorities to ensure their safety. At 9 a.m. it put out updated instructions, saying local security forces had been deployed, and it was safe to head to the airport. At the same time, it said they should avoid displaying Israeli and Jewish symbols on the streets.

Amsterdam police said five people were hospitalized and released by the afternoon, and 62 were arrested. The police said that they had started a major investigation into multiple violent incidents. Officials denied rumors that some people had been taken hostage.

Jerusalem said new Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar was headed to the Dutch capital in light of events.

Some video footage on social media showed Israelis chanting against Arabs and Palestinians in the city, apparently prior to the riots, pointing to high tensions and unrest even before the nighttime attacks. Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists claimed the Israeli fans were the first to engage in harassment and violence.

Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that a Palestinian flag was ripped off a building in the center of the city and riot police blocked pro-Palestinian supporters trying to march toward the Johan Cruyff Arena stadium where the match was being played.

WARNING: Disturbing footage

Amsterdam police said that “in several places in the city, [Maccabi] supporters were attacked. The police had to intervene several times, protect Israeli supporters and escort them to hotels. Despite the massive police presence in the city, Israeli supporters have been injured. This outburst of violence toward Israeli supporters is unacceptable and cannot be defended in any way. There is no excuse for the antisemitic behavior exhibited last night by rioters who actively sought out Israeli supporters to attack and assault them.”

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof denounced the “unacceptable antisemitic attacks on Israelis.” He added that he had spoken with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to assure him that “the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted.”

Israel said it held Dutch authorities responsible for the safety of its citizens. It initially said it was sending military cargo planes to fly people home from the Dutch capital, but later canceled the plan, saying it had been decided that supporting civil aviation efforts was sufficient. Israelis were advised to head back home as early as possible, with planes expected to land in Amsterdam in the coming hours.

Local authorities said extra police would patrol the city in coming days and security will be beefed up at Jewish institutions in the city that has a large Jewish community and was home to Jewish World War II diarist Anne Frank and her family as they hid from Nazi occupiers.

How the violence started was not immediately clear. Palestinian supporters claimed Israeli hooligans had first assaulted Arabs in the city and vandalized flags. Some videos on social media showed Israeli Maccabi fans chanting against Arabs. It was not known when exactly those videos were captured, but in them fans were heard chanting “We’ll fuck the Arabs” and “Fuck you Palestine.”

Fans reported being attacked by Arabic-speaking gangs after the match, which the Dutch team won 5-0, and ambushed outside the stadium and at their hotels by organized groups. Many of the attackers were masked and some carried Palestinian flags. Footage on social media showed attackers chasing Israelis, beating them and at times kicking them while they were on the ground.

Israelis reported being harassed and hunted by the rioters for hours with little effective intervention by local police, chased into hiding and hounded at their hotels. Some Israelis had their passports stolen, according to Hebrew media outlets. Some videos showed individuals on the ground begging to be left alone. One offered money to his attackers. Another clip showed a man with a kippah in the street being badgered by rioters demanding to know where he was from as he tried to get away.

Many described the experience as “a pogrom” that revived the trauma of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, particularly in light of the lack of protection by the authorities.

“They were waiting in groups at every corner and the moment they identified Jews they chased them,” one Israeli told Kan News.

“It was Kristallnacht 2,” a second told Channel 12 news. “We’re not safe here, we’re shut inside our hotel.”

“Dozens attacked us. It looked planned,” another told Ynet.

Netanyahu’s office initially said the premier had instructed that two military planes be dispatched to Amsterdam to bring back Israelis, and the IDF said that the mission “will be deployed using cargo aircraft and include medical and rescue teams,” in coordination with the Dutch government. It later said that following an assessment and at the recommendation of officials, “it was decided that it is not necessary to send a professional rescue mission to the Netherlands.”

The Prime Minister’s Office quoted Netanyahu calling on Schoof and local security forces “to act decisively and swiftly against the rioters, and to ensure the wellbeing of our citizens.” He also asked for increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands.

It added that “the difficult images of the assault on our citizens in Amsterdam will not be overlooked,” and that Netanyahu “views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity.” The premier thanked Schoof for his statements on the attack, which he called antisemitic.

Israel’s National Security Council issued a stark warning to Israelis and Jews in Amsterdam, calling on those who are out in public not to display any Israeli or Jewish symbols.

Newly appointed foreign minister Gideon Saar said in a statement that he had requested the Dutch government’s assistance in ensuring Israeli citizens’ safe exit from their hotels to the airport.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon also denounced the violence as “a pogrom.” He added: “These are the true faces of the supporters of the radical terrorism we are fighting. The Western world needs to wake up now!!” he wrote in a post on X.

Hard-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders, whose party is a member of the Netherlands’ government, strongly denounced the attacks.

“Looks like a Jew hunt in the streets of Amsterdam,” he said, suggesting the assailants were migrants. “Ashamed that this can happen in The Netherlands.” He, too, called the attack a “pogrom in the streets of Amsterdam” and lamented that the Netherlands had become the “Gaza of Europe.”

The US envoy to counter antisemitism issued a statement denouncing the attacks.

“Horrified by the attacks tonight in Amsterdam, which are terribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom,” said Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt. “I am also deeply disturbed by how long the reported attacks lasted and call on the government to conduct a thorough investigation into security force intervention and on how these despicable attacks transpired.”

“In a terrible historical irony, this is happening two days before the grim anniversary of Reichspogromnacht in 1938, when Nazi-sanctioned and led pogroms against Jews erupted across the German Reich,” she added, referring to Kristallnacht.

President Isaac Herzog called the attacks “a warning sign for any country that wishes to uphold the values of freedom.”

“We woke up this morning to shocking images and videos that since October 7th, we had hoped never to see again: an antisemitic pogrom,” he wrote on X.

He said he trusted that Dutch authorities “will act immediately and take all necessary measures to protect, locate, and rescue all Israelis and Jews under attack, and to eradicate the violence against Jewish and Israeli citizens by all required means.”

The Foreign Ministry said its situation room could be contacted for information at 02-5304358; 02-5303287; 02-5303644; 02-5303401; 050-5074986; 02-5303155.

Israel’s Embassy to the Netherlands can be contacted at +31703760570, +31642648282 and +31648493297.