What we know about attacks on Israeli fans on the sidelines of a football match in Amsterdam

Several supporters of an Israeli club were attacked overnight from Thursday to Friday in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on the sidelines of a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

At the end of the match, won 5-0 by the Dutch club, clashes broke out near the Johan Cruyff Arena, between pro-Palestinian activists and Israeli supporters, who had come to Amsterdam. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said ten Israelis were injured, including five hospitalized, in the incidents and that contact was lost with two other people, according to Haaretz.

While several individuals were missing since yesterday evening, the AFP indicated that “all the Israelis of whom we had no news in Amsterdam have been located”, communicated the ministry, after allegations on social networks suggesting a possible seizure of hostages.

Deployed massively during the day for this meeting classified as “high risk”, the Amsterdam police, cited by the Dutch agency ANP, indicated that they had made 62 arrests on Thursday evening, without giving details of the facts. According to images shared by media outlet AT5, local police then protected and escorted Israeli supporters to their hotel.

Provocations antipalestiniennes

Several videos circulating on social networks show street fights in which fans of the visiting club are assaulted by individuals with hidden faces, or even beaten up. For example, one was kicked while on the ground, while another was thrown into one of the city’s canals and forced to say “Free Palestine” ( Free Palestine), to be allowed to leave.

Other people indicated that their passports had been stolen, and whose photos circulated on social networks. It thus turns out that two of them, Yuval H. and Shaked F., would actually be soldiers of the Israeli army, as suggested by photos of them in uniform accompanied by posts relating to Maccabi sports results Tel-Aviv on their respective Twitter and Facebook accounts. One of them speaks in a message paying tribute to one of these friends killed during the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 of Palestinians in Gaza as “human animals”.

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 for security reasons by the Amsterdam town hall, where a large population of Arab origin lives.

Earlier in the afternoon, several hundred Israeli supporters, including members of the Tel Aviv club’s ultra group, the “Maccabi fanatics”, had gathered in Dam Square, surrounded by a large device police officer, before walking towards the stadium located in the south of the Dutch capital, where the match took place.

Other videos, prior to those of the aforementioned incidents, report clashes caused by Israeli supporters during this procession. According to the images available, some of them sang songs with racist connotations, in particular to express their joy at the death of Palestinians in Gaza, insulted passers-by, vandalized buildings in the streets of the city, or even tore down objects. Palestinian flags hung from balconies amid cheers: “Burn it already, and let’s get it over with,” we can hear on one of the videos.

At the entrance to the stadium, these same supporters were filmed singing in chorus: “Let the IDF (the Israeli army) win to fuck the Arabs. » Some of them also failed to respect the minute of silence organized in tribute to the victims of the floods in Valencia, Spain, which left more than 200 dead and many missing. These actions come in a context where the Spanish government has called for an end to arms deliveries to the Jewish state after officially recognizing the State of Palestine earlier in the year.

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Furthermore, according to several Dutch media, including the news sites AD news and RTL, reported that during the night preceding the match, fights had already taken place between Israeli hooligans and groups of pro-Palestinian activists. According to these articles, supporters of the club also set fire to a Palestinian flag in a square in Amsterdam and attacked motorists in the area, including a taxi driver of Arab origin before taking refuge at the Amsterdam Casino.

“Anti-Semitic pogrom”, UN and EU outraged

In Israel, where these scenes of violence aroused strong emotion, the authorities strongly condemned these attacks, starting with the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he considered “the appalling incident with the greatest seriousness” before demand that the Dutch authorities act “vigorously and quickly against the rioters”.

“We see with horror this morning the shocking images and videos that we hoped we would never see again since October 7: an anti-Semitic pogrom that is currently taking place against Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam,” added Israeli President Isaac Herzog. in a press release.

In the same tone, the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, did not hesitate to draw a parallel between this event and “the inability of the Netherlands to protect the Jews during the Holocaust”. “We failed the Jewish community in the Netherlands during World War II, and last night we failed again.” “It looks like a hunt for Jews […] Arrest and expel the multicultural scum,” added Geert Wilders, the leader of the local far right, on X.

On everyone’s lips in the European media, this violence has pushed a number of leading political leaders to comment on it. From the UN to the European Union, many have denounced attacks of an “anti-Semitic” nature. In France, President Emmanuel Macron spoke of “violence” which recalls “the most shameful hours in history”. “We cannot accept this. Anyone who attacks Jews attacks all of us. Jews must be able to feel safe in Europe,” added German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

An ultra group with heavy liabilities

The new head of Israeli diplomacy, Gideon Saar, must go to Amsterdam to “ensure the security of supporters for their transfer to the airport” after meeting with his Dutch counterpart. The “immediate dispatch of two relief planes” to the Netherlands was announced by Benjamin Netanyahu, while the Israeli army indicated for its part that it was preparing “a relief mission” including a cargo plane as well as teams medical.

Last March, Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters had already made a name for themselves on the sidelines of a trip to Athens to face Olympiakos. Greek media reported that an Egyptian national had been lynched by “Maccabi fanatics” members in the streets of the Greek capital, while he was brandishing a Palestinian flag.

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This ultra-Israeli group was also noted for its political positions, in particular by singing racist chants against Israeli Arab players playing for their team or by tagging graffiti in the streets of Tel Aviv saying: “We don’t want Arabs at Maccabi. » In 2020, they also attacked a procession of anti-Netanyahu demonstrators with sticks and broken bottles.

Unlike Russian teams, excluded from all official competitions since the start of the war in Ukraine, Israeli clubs are still authorized to participate in international tournaments organized by FIFA and UEFA, including European championships such as the Champions League and the Europa League.

The Israeli selection will notably play a Nations League match against the French team scheduled for November 14 at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis. “Some are asking for the France-Israel match to be relocated, I do not accept it. France is not backing down because that would amount to abdicating in the face of threats of violence and anti-Semitism, Bruno Retailleau, the French Minister of the Interior, reacted on Friday.