Amsterdam: What is known about the hunts against Israeli fans

Ugly scenes have taken place in the streets of Amsterdam: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators attacked Israeli supporters after a football match. As numerous video clips on social media show, young Israelis were literally chased through the streets and beaten. There is talk of a “pogrom” in the Israeli media. What we know so far about the violent attacks.

A Europa League game between Ajax Amsterdam and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv took place in Amsterdam on Thursday evening, which the hosts won 5-0.

According to consistent statements, the Israeli supporters were targeted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators in several places after leaving the Johan Cruyff Arena. Many attackers were masked and shouted “Free Palestine”. Reporters from Amsterdam TV station AT5 reported that the pro-Palestinian demonstrators threw chairs at Maccabi fans as they returned to the city center from the stadium late Thursday evening. There were further hunting scenes there, as video clips on social media show. They show scenes of Israelis lying on the ground being punched and kicked. “In several places in the city, fans were besieged, mistreated and had fireworks thrown at them,” said Mayor Femke Halsema. She condemned this “anti-Semitic behavior.”

Mobile police forces shielded the Israelis and accompanied them to their hotels in buses, it said. The Israeli side complains that the police showed little presence during the attacks, which lasted several hours. A clip shows what appear to be Arabs asking an Israeli where he is from as he tries to escape. “They waited in groups on every corner and as soon as they recognized Jews, they chased them,” an Israeli told Kan News. In addition, some of the hotels where Maccabi fans were staying were said to have been besieged.

According to current information, ten Israeli supporters were injured and three are missing. Police said they had provisionally arrested 57 people.

Even before the game, there were clashes between Israeli football fans and security forces in the center of the city. According to police, around ten people were arrested for disturbing public order and the prohibited possession of fireworks.

There were also clashes before kick-off near the stadium in the southeast of the city. According to police, around 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to get to the venue. The city administration had previously banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration directly in front of the Johan Cruyff Arena and designated another location nearby for the rally. The security precautions had been significantly tightened before the game. Unverified clips also show Maccabi fans chanting anti-Palestinian chants such as “We’ll fuck the Arabs” and “Fuck you Palestine.”

The horror is great. Israeli newspapers such as the Jerusalem Post spoke of a pogrom. The government in Jerusalem has already sent passenger planes to fly out the fans. The route to the airport was safe, the police said, but at the same time they warned against wearing Jewish symbols. Israel’s new Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he had asked the Dutch government for assistance in allowing Israeli citizens to travel safely from their hotels to the airport. The minister announced that he would fly to the Netherlands. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said he wanted to meet high-ranking representatives of the Dutch government, including his counterpart. Saar will emphasize the importance of the fight against anti-Semitism.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned these “unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis” on X. He has now spoken to Netanyahu on the phone. The radical right-wing populist Geert Wilders spoke on X about a hunt for Jews. “A pogrom in the streets of Amsterdam. (…) Muslims with Palestinian flags hunt Jews.” The German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, expressed outrage. “Chasing and beating Israeli football fans is not an anti-war protest.” Israeli President Izchak Herzog said: “It is with horror that we see this morning the shocking images and videos that we have hoped to never see again since October 7th: an anti-Semitic pogrom against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israeli fans Citizens in the heart of Amsterdam.”

Sources: “”, “, DPA