Israeli fans violently attacked in Amsterdam after a Europa League match. Vandalized cars, manhunts… The authorities
It was an evening that turned into a nightmare for dozens of Israeli supporters present in Amsterdam. Wednesday evening, on the sidelines of the Europa League match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, won 5-0 by the Dutch club, incidents of rare violence broke out in the heart of the capital of the Netherlands . According to several testimonies and videos posted on social networks, groups of local young people violently attacked fans of the Israeli team.
Manhunt and vandalized vehicles
Around Amsterdam Central Station, surreal scenes were seen late at night from Wednesday to Thursday. In videos that have gone viral, we can see gangs of young people chasing Israeli supporters in the streets, shouting “Free Palestine!”. One supporter was thrown into a canal, while another was intentionally hit by a car. Several vehicles with Israeli license plates were vandalized, their windows smashed with baseball bats.
A large number of vehicles from the mobile unit are present and reinforcements have also been called. Young people also allegedly provoked the police.
Local average AT5
Faced with the scale of the violence, the Dutch police had to intervene massively to try to restore calm. But despite an imposing police force deployed, the clashes continued for a good part of the night in the city center of Amsterdam. Several people were injured, and significant material damage was reported.
Geopolitical tensions exported to the stadiums
If Football is often the scene of excesses between supporters, the incidents in Amsterdam seem to be part of a very specific context. Beyond the sporting rivalry, it is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which has been imported into the heart of the Dutch capital. Political slogans and Palestinian flags were clearly visible among the attackers of Israeli fans.
Even if no link has yet been proven, a few days ago, the qualification of Maccabi Tel-Aviv for the group stages of the Europa League had already sparked a wave of hostile comments on social networks. Many denounced the presence of an Israeli club in a leading European competition.
These incidents are a sad reminder that football stadiums can sometimes serve as a sounding board for the geopolitical tensions that cross our societies. Sport and politics collide, leading to unacceptable excesses like those observed in Amsterdam.
Political reactions in Israel
Images of violence targeting Israeli supporters have sparked emotion and anger at the highest levels of the Jewish state. Prime Minister Yair Lapid reacted quickly, calling the incidents in Amsterdam “appalling” and announcing that planes would be sent to repatriate the attacked supporters.
The Prime Minister views the appalling incident with the utmost seriousness.
Office of the Israeli Prime Minister
Diplomatic sources indicate that an official protest could be sent to the Dutch ambassador to Israel in the coming hours. Beyond the investigation opened by the Dutch authorities, Tel Aviv demands that all light be shed on these unspeakable acts and that their perpetrators be severely punished.
An imperative for firmness in the face of violence
The incidents in Amsterdam, by their premeditated and particularly brutal nature, raise many questions. How could we get to this point on the sidelines of a simple European football match? How are such scenes of lynching in the street, solely motivated by hatred of others, still possible in 2024?
While it is vital that all light is shed on these events, a firm response from the political and sporting authorities is required. Violence has no place in stadiums, nor outside for that matter. Those who incite and attack in packs, armed with simplistic slogans, must be identified and punished with the greatest severity.
As for those involved in the sporting world, managers, players, supporters, they also have a heavy responsibility. That of never letting oneself be carried away by hatred, easy amalgamations and warlike impulses. Football must remain a field of play and fair play, not a battlefield where the worst instincts of human beings are expressed. It is on this condition that the “most beautiful of sports” can continue to bring people together and amaze. Despite the incidents in Amsterdam, let us hope that this message will be heard.
