Clashes broke out overnight from Thursday to Friday in Amsterdam following a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, with Israel denouncing “appalling” violence against its supporters and sending planes to their provide assistance.
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Deployed massively during the day for this meeting, the Amsterdam police, cited by the Dutch agency ANP, indicated that they had made 57 arrests during several incidents on the sidelines of the soccer match, without giving details on the facts.
The Israeli authorities reacted very strongly, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying they considered “the appalling incident with the greatest seriousness” and “demanding [des autorités néerlandaises] to act vigorously and quickly against the rioters.”
“The difficult images of the aggression against our citizens in Amsterdam will not be ignored,” he assured.
He announced the “immediate dispatch of two relief planes” to assist Israeli supporters, while the Israeli army indicated for its part that it was preparing “a relief mission” including a cargo plane as well as medical teams.
Contacted by AFP, the Dutch Interior Ministry did not comment on this violence, which took place overnight in the center of Amsterdam following the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv won by the Dutch club (5-0).
AFP
The violence also provoked reactions from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the leader of the official opposition in Ottawa, Pierre Poilievre.
Mr. Trudeau described “terrifying” scenes on the social network X which reflect “a dark moment for our world, a moment that we have already experienced”.
The conservative leader, for his part, denounced the fact that “Jews were once again being chased into Europe.”
The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, also condemned the events perpetrated in Amsterdam last night.
“The anti-Semitic acts of violence that occurred yesterday in Amsterdam are completely unacceptable and revolting. We must denounce them loud and clear. I have a thought for the Jewish community and for the victims,” Mr. Legault wrote on his X account.
And the mayor of Montreal also felt concerned by the violent actions that occurred in Amsterdam.
“In my name and that of Montrealers, I condemn the terrible anti-Semitic attacks that occurred in Amsterdam. While the world is under tension, it is more necessary than ever to rally around the values of peace, solidarity and respect,” mentioned Valérie Plante on X.
Important police force
“A large number of vehicles from the mobile unit are present and reinforcements have also been called. Young people also allegedly provoked the police,” described local media AT5.
Police protected and escorted Israeli supporters to their hotel according to footage shared by this source.
The Amsterdam police said on Thursday that they were “particularly vigilant” on its X account, after reporting several incidents, including a Palestinian flag torn from a facade “by unknown persons”.
AFP
In the afternoon, around a hundred Israeli supporters gathered on Dam Square, surrounded by a large police force, before going to the Johan Cruyff stadium, in the southwest of the Dutch capital.
A pro-Palestinian rally condemning the arrival of the Israeli club was initially planned near the stadium, but was moved a little further into the neighborhood by Amsterdam town hall for security reasons.
These incidents come at a time when Israel is at war on two fronts, against Hamas in Gaza, with the aim of destroying the Palestinian Islamist movement after its bloody attack of October 7, 2023 on Israeli territory, and against pro-Iranian Hezbollah in Lebanon, after more than a year of cross-border firefights with the Lebanese Islamist movement which supports Hamas.
Photo AFP
The new Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, who was sworn in overnight in front of Parliament, spoke with his Dutch counterpart, Caspar Veldkamp.
According to his services, “he underlined the seriousness with which Israel regards the large-scale violent attacks against its citizens in Amsterdam during the night” and requested that the Dutch authorities ensure the security of the supporters for their transfer to the airport.
