Israeli authorities called on fans to avoid a Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball match against Bologna in Italy on Friday, the day after violence on the sidelines of a football match involving the same club in Amsterdam.
“Calls to harm Israelis and Jews continue to grow on social media, and there are fears that the events of the past 24 hours could lead to a wave of similar actions and further unrest and attacks against Israelis abroad,” said the Israeli Prime Minister’s office.
“In light of this, the National Security Council (NSC) advises Israelis to avoid attending the Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Bologna and to avoid displaying visible Israeli or Jewish symbols as much as possible.” , they added.
The Maccabi basketball section must face Virtus Bologna this Friday at 8:30 p.m. in Italy as part of the men’s Euroleague.
Bologna’s police chief stepped up already high security measures for the meeting and assigned a special escort to the Israeli team, according to Italian agencies.
“The growing anti-Semitism is unacceptable and horrible and it is our duty to guarantee full security to all citizens of the Jewish religion,” declared, for her part, the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, in a press release.
Five people were briefly hospitalized and 62 others arrested, Dutch police announced after the clashes which took place Thursday evening in Amsterdam on the sidelines of the football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
