a new night of violence in Amsterdam – Libération

Four days after the violence on the sidelines of the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, the Dutch capital was the scene of new riots on the night of Monday to Tuesday, November 12. Anti-Semitic slogans were heard.

Barely four days after the attacks on Israeli supporters on the sidelines of an Ajax Amsterdam match against Maccabi Tel-Aviv, new violence punctuated the night of Monday to Tuesday, November 12 in Amsterdam. “Loud explosions and several sirens sounded” Monday evening near Square 40-45, in the west of the Dutch capital, the newspaper reports The Telegraph. Local police reported on their X account that as of 7:15 p.m. Monday, “a large group of people caused a disturbance and set off fireworks.” The gathering has “caused the fire of a tram”. Bicycles and cars also caught fire or were destroyed. Often masked, rioters chanted slogans such as “Free Palestine” or “Cancer Jews” and targeted police officers.

So far, no injuries have been reported in the tram fire. The driver and passengers managed to escape in time. But in the evening, several injuries were recorded. One person was slightly injured when a pyrotechnic device was triggered. Another was thrown off her bike and then hit. On its X account, the Amsterdam police unit reported a shooting in Nieuwe Hemweg, two kilometers from square 40-45, during which one person was injured and taken to hospital. However, there is currently no indication that these shots were fired in the context of the riots. Finally, the police found that “peace has returned” around 11 p.m. on the square. Three people were arrested and suspects are still being sought.

The riots last night echo those which followed the match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv last week. In response to a call to target Jews on social media, men on scooters pursued Israeli supporters, beat them and in some cases demanded their passports to identify their nationality. Ultras from the Tel Aviv club were also guilty of physical and verbal violence.

This weekend, 62 people, including 10 people living in Israel, were arrested by Dutch police in connection with these events. The country's Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, on Monday described the actions on the sidelines of the match as “pure and simple anti-Semitic violence.” Thursday, November 14, a France-Israel meeting will take place at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis. This Tuesday morning, the French Minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, assured on Europe 1 that “Israeli footballers and supporters are welcome in Paris”.