Five people were injured in Amsterdam on the night of November 7 to 8 after violence targeted Israeli supporters. A first plane carrying evacuated nationals landed in Tel Aviv.
The essentials
- Clashes broke out in the center of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on the night of November 7 to 8, 2024, after a football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv. The violence targeted Israeli supporters according to images posted on social networks. Israeli President Isaac Herzog denounced an “anti-Semitic pogrom”.
- The Israeli Prime Minister denounced a “premeditated anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens”. A first plane carrying Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam landed on Friday, November 8, at Tel Aviv international airport. Three other flights are planned.
- Five people were injured and hospitalized according to authorities. All were able to leave the hospital according to local police and Amsterdam city hall.
- At least 62 people were arrested before and after the match which was subject to security. The authorities also specify that they have been “particularly vigilant” and have moved a gathering of pro-Palestinian activists as a preventive measure.
- The attack on Israeli supporters in Amsterdam sparked numerous reactions denouncing anti-Semitic acts. UEFA, the European football body, announced the opening of a procedure to shed light on this violence.
Latest updates
23:48 – An ongoing investigation
On She also shared a link so people with information can call or share videos.”
23:11 – Police are investigating the footage
Images circulating on social networks show dozens of fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv club chanting in Hebrew “Finish the Arabs! We will win!” . In other videos, people are seen knocking Israeli fans to the ground and beating them. “We are currently examining these images, they are part of the investigation,” said an Amsterdam police spokesperson.
22:39 – UN chief “shocked” by violence in Amsterdam
The UN Secretary General is “shocked” by the violence which took place Thursday in Amsterdam. It “condemns all forms of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia,” Stéphanie Tremblay, a spokesperson for the organization, said on Friday.
22:01 – Israel recommends basketball fans avoid going to a game
Israeli authorities have called on basketball fans to avoid a Maccabi Tel Aviv match against Bologna, scheduled for Friday in Italy, “and to avoid as much as possible displaying visible Israeli or Jewish symbols”, the Israeli news agency reported. 'AFP Omer Dostri, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's office.
21:20 – “This abjection must be fought relentlessly”, assures Michel Barnier
Prime Minister Michel Barnier also reacted to the events in Amsterdam. “No manifestation of anti-Semitism can be tolerated,” he assured this Friday in a post published on be fought relentlessly, in all its forms,” he added.
20:41 – Joe Biden reacts to the aggression of Israelis in Amsterdam
Joe Biden described as “abject” the “anti-Semitic attacks against Israeli football fans” in Amsterdam, an event “which recalls dark moments in history, when Jews were persecuted”. “We must fight tirelessly against anti-Semitism, wherever it emerges,” the departing American president declared on X.
20:02 – “It really felt like it was war”, the story of an evening under high tension
“It really felt like it was war. We had a great evening at the stadium, despite the defeat. But what happened afterward, I can't even describe it. It really felt like hatred “, testified a Maccabi supporter to the daily De Telegraaf. “I've never been so scared. My dad was kicked badly in the leg and hip. He's having trouble walking. We didn't sleep last night,” another fan shared attacked.
19:18 – An Israeli fan says he “heard loud explosions”
A Maccabi supporter told AD media about his evening in Amsterdam. Before the match kicked off, he was “partying with Ajax fans”. He claims to have seen groups of 10 to 15 people, mostly young people, dressed in black hooded sweatshirts, moving quickly on scooters to fight. They seemed very organized and knew exactly where to gather,” he confided. Once safe in a hotel, the tension did not subside as the hours passed. “We heard loud explosions. We saw people knocking on the hotel door, which fortunately was locked.”
18:45 – More than 1,800 Israelis will return from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv by Saturday
The first plane intended to repatriate Israeli citizens from Amsterdam arrived in Tel Aviv in the afternoon. In addition to regular flights, four special evacuation flights are planned this Friday and two others on Saturday, explains an airline spokesperson to AFP. “Adding this morning's flights, this means that approximately 1,850 Israelis will return from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv,” she said.
17:51 – Aymeric Caron emphasizes that “nothing corroborates the thesis […] anti-Semitic attacks”
In a message posted on […] At this stage nothing corroborates the thesis according to which the attacks against Israeli supporters in Amsterdam are anti-Semitic attacks”. The MP adds that Israeli supporters were “violent, provocative, tearing down Palestinian flags, disrespectful towards Spanish victims of the floods, and chanting racist and pro-genocide songs in the streets in Gaza.
17:20 – This violence “has nothing to do with football”, regrets the boss of Maccabi Tel-Aviv
“It had nothing to do with football,” said Ben Mansford, boss of Maccabi Tel Aviv, whose supporters were attacked after a football match in Amsterdam. “Seeing them running towards the rivers, being hit defenseless on the ground (…), it’s really a very sad time for all of us, given what we have experienced this last year,” he said. he commented according to remarks taken up by The Parisian.
16:47 – Benjamin Netanyahu orders Mossad to establish an action plan
“I have instructed the head of Mossad and other officials to prepare our action plans, our alert system and our organization in the face of this new situation,” Benyamin Netanyahu said on Friday, November 8, at following the attack on supporters of the Maccabi Tel-Aviv club in Amsterdam. He asked the Mossad, Israeli intelligence service, to prepare an action plan to avoid violence during sporting events, reports The Parisian.
16:08 – “Rats, stupid Jews, go home”, an Israeli supporter testifies
15:42 – “We will not accept harm to Jews,” warns Benjamin Netanyahu
A meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday November 8, the day after the attack on Israeli supporters in Amsterdam. On X, formerly Twitter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns: “We will not accept harm to Jews – neither in Amsterdam, nor in Europe, nor anywhere else.”
15:27 – First Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam
A first plane carrying Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam landed on Friday, November 8, at Tel Aviv International Airport, Israeli airport authorities said. Three flights are planned to repatriate Israelis from Amsterdam in addition to two regular flights, according to The Parisian. The Israeli company EI AI specified that “hundreds of Israeli passengers” will be able to board the evacuation planes free of charge.
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What to remember
Violent clashes broke out between Israeli supporters and Dutch people on the sidelines of the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, in Amsterdam, on the night of November 7 to 8, 2024. According to images of the violence, these were anti-Semitic attacks targeting Israeli and Jewish supporters. A thesis taken up by Israeli leaders who denounce a “pogrom” and a “premeditated anti-Semitic attack” in the respective words of President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to RMC, the violence against Israeli supporters was rapid. Shortly after 11 p.m. and the end of the match, the exit from the stadium went smoothly. The Israeli supporters left the enclosure after the other supporters, as required by security protocol for visiting supporters. After midnight, in the space of half an hour, the police informed of an intervention by anti-riot forces in several places in the city.
“A large number of vehicles from the mobile unit are present and reinforcements have also been called. Young people are also said to have provoked the police,” said local media AT5 to describe the scene and the response of the police. Amsterdam police protected and escorted Israeli supporters to their hotels after the clashes, according to AT5 footage. According to the same media, 62 arrests took place before and after the match. Most of those arrested are described as pro-Palestinian activists.
These violent events come as the war in the Middle East, in which Israel is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, continues. Previous meetings of Israeli teams in football competitions have caused much concern. The Dutch authorities, however, assure that they have been “particularly vigilant” in view of the match. The gathering of Israeli supporters before the match was protected by a large device and another bringing together pro-Palestinian activists opposing the club's arrival was moved away from the stadium where the match took place as a security measure.
Israel's reaction
The head of the government of Israel indicated in a statement “that he viewed with seriousness the premeditated anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens and called for increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands”, in particular with the taking of ” vigorous and rapid measures against the rioters. In response to the clashes, Benjamin Netanyahu sent planes to the Netherlands to “bring back” Israeli nationals, including the injured. The government also indicated that “Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will soon leave for an urgent diplomatic visit to the Netherlands.”
The Israeli army also reacted to the violence that occurred in Amsterdam, describing acts “targeted against Jews and Israelis”, “horrible and barbaric”, through one of its spokespersons, Nadav Shoshani. The Israeli authorities announced the sending of planes to repatriate nationals, including injured ones, who wish to leave the city
