Dutch police announced on Sunday that they were investigating 45 people in connection with the violence on the sidelines of the Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam last week, and nine of them have already been identified and arrested. The number of suspects is expected to increase “partly based on the analysis of a large number of images”, police added.
“Due to the seriousness of the crimes, but also their social impact, we immediately formed a special investigation team,” explained Dutch police chief Janny Knol, quoted in a press release. The police are “examining all crimes committed before and after the match,” he said, after the violence that shook the Dutch capital on November 7, leading to several demonstrations and a near breakup of the government coalition.
“Anti-Semitic” attacks and anti-Arab chants
Police said tensions were high ahead of last week's soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and local team Ajax. Anti-Arab slogans were chanted by Israeli supporters, who also vandalized a taxi and burned a Palestinian flag in Amsterdam's main square. After the match, Israeli fans were attacked by men on scooters. Police said the attackers were encouraged by calls to attack Jews on social media.
Five Maccabi supporters were briefly hospitalized during the violence which sparked outrage among Western leaders. Dutch and Israeli authorities condemned the attacks as “anti-Semitic” and called for the perpetrators to be swiftly punished. “It goes without saying, but I think it's worth emphasizing that we are looking at all offenses committed before and after the match. Regardless of who the perpetrator or victim is,” Janny Knoll emphasized.
Muslim rights groups condemned anti-Semitism, but stressed that the violence in Amsterdam was not one-sided. Last week, Prime Minister Dick Schoof blamed people with “immigrant backgrounds” for the violence.
Friday evening, Mr. Schoof's right-wing government coalition narrowly avoided breaking up after the resignation of a Secretary of State to protest against racist remarks made according to her by one of her colleagues in the Council of Ministers after this violence against Israeli fans.
