Did Israeli soccer fans instigate the violence that erupted after a game in Amsterdam? – First post

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has a message for his football-loving citizens. Do not attend the France-Israel football match in Paris on Thursday as violence broke out in Amsterdam last Thursday following a game between local team Ajax and Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv.

“In recent days, various calls to harm Israelis and Jews have been noted among pro-Palestinians/supporters of terrorist groups, under the guise of protests and demonstrations and taking advantage of mass participation (of sports and cultural events). “Maximize damage and media exposure,” the National Security Council said in a statement.

It added that Israelis should “completely avoid games/cultural events with Israeli involvement next week.”

But what exactly happened last week? Which led to the violence in Amsterdam, in which at least ten people were injured and over 60 others were arrested.

Last Thursday (November 7th) the Europa League game took place between the Dutch top club Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which the hosts won 5-0.

After the game, Israeli soccer fans claimed they were attacked by groups of young men in Amsterdam, with some suffering injuries including broken noses. AFP reported that groups of men on scooters carried out “hit-and-run” attacks on Maccabi fans in parts of the city.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said: “This is an outbreak of anti-Semitism that I hope I will never experience again,” adding that she was “ashamed” of the violence.

Social media videos verified by AFP showed groups chasing Maccabi supporters, hurling objects, beating them and abusing them.

Numerous people were injured in the violence, which, according to Halsema, “severely damaged” the city.

24-year-old Adi Reuben recounted the violence BBC that he was kicked to the ground and had his nose broken when he and his friends confronted a group of over ten men on the way back to their hotel. The men asked Ruben what it was called BBC tell us where he and his friends came from. “They were shouting ‘Jewish, Jewish, IDF, IDF,'” he said, referring to the Israeli military.

Someone else is talking to him BBC said he was asked for his passport before the attack. Gal Binyanmin Tshuva, 29, said: “We were faced with about 20 people running towards us. They asked me where I was from and I said I was from Greece. They said they didn’t believe me and wanted to see my passport.”

He said he didn’t have it and was then pushed to the ground and kicked in the face. “I don’t remember anything after that and I woke up in an ambulance with blood on my face and realized they had broken two of my teeth.”

Ofek Ziv from the Israeli city of Petah Tikva told the story AP As he and a friend left the stadium, someone threw a rock at his head, causing minor bleeding. He said a group of men began chasing him before he and his friend got into a taxi, picked up other fans and sought shelter in a hotel.

The incident in Amsterdam was met with widespread criticism. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the “shocking images” of a “pogrom” were reminiscent of the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he “views the terrible incident with the utmost seriousness.” He called on the Dutch government to take “strong and rapid action” against those involved.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned the violence and flew home early from an EU summit in Hungary. US President Joe Biden also condemned the attack, calling the incident “despicable.”

“The anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam are despicable and reminiscent of dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted,” Biden wrote in a statement shared on the social platform X.

After the incident, 62 people were arrested, including two minors. What is noteworthy is that these took place before and during the game and not during the “hit-and-run,” said prosecutor spokesman Evert Boestra.

What led to the violence?

The attack on Israeli soccer fans was not a sudden outburst of anger and follows tensions that began brewing days earlier between fans and pro-Palestinian activists and others in the city.

Investigations and video footage suggest the tensions began on Wednesday, a day before the football game. Sheher Khan, a prominent Muslim member of the city council, said New York Times that a Muslim taxi driver’s car was attacked while he was sitting in it. A video shows a man hitting the car with an object.

Many civic leaders in Amsterdam also say that Israeli fans were fomenting violence by speaking racist slogans. There are also videos showing Maccabi fans tearing down a Palestinian flag from a residential building somewhere in the city.

A video shows two men in tracksuits lifting a third man so he can remove the flag from the window as someone shouts encouragement in the background.

Nassredin Taibi, a 22-year-old student, told the New York Times“Long before the game, I received messages on my X account about Maccabi hooligans misbehaving in downtown Amsterdam, chanting and tearing down the Palestinian flag.”

According to Amsterdam police, taxi drivers were then asked to mobilize, which led to them gathering in front of the casino where the Maccabi fans were staying.

The real truth of what happened in Amsterdam #AmsterdamAttack #amsterdam #MaccabiHooligans #Israel #Amsterdamas pic.twitter.com/EtquDS8TP9

— Jack Preston (@JackPrestonNYC) November 9, 2024

Later, on the day of the game, the video footage was shared on social media and reviewed by Reuters shows Maccabi supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans including “F**k you Palestine” in front of the national monument in Amsterdam’s central Dam Square.

Other footage shows them waving Israeli flags, expressing support for the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza and tearing down Palestinian flags, the reports Tehran Times.

Councilman Jazie Veldhuyzen was quoted as testifying AlJazeera“They started attacking people’s houses in Amsterdam with Palestinian flags, so that’s actually where the violence started.”

The real truth of what happened in Amsterdam #AmsterdamAttack #amsterdam #MaccabiHooligans #Israel #Amsterdamas pic.twitter.com/EtquDS8TP9

— Jack Preston (@JackPrestonNYC) November 9, 2024

He added: “In response, the people of Amsterdam mobilized and countered the attacks of the Maccabi hooligans.”

The game itself later took place largely in a peaceful atmosphere. However, Israeli fans reportedly booed during the minute’s silence for victims of the floods in Spain, which recognized the state of Palestine in May.

After the game, all hell broke loose as groups attacked Israelis, kicking fallen victims and throwing fireworks. Dutch news site Bender published a video of a large group of Maccabi fans arming themselves with sticks, pipes and stones and clashing twice with opponents as they marched into the city after the game.

What’s next?

After the violence, Israeli officials organized flights to bring Maccabi fans home. Meanwhile, Dutch police made arrests in connection with the violence.

On Sunday (November 10), Dutch police made more arrests as hundreds of protesters gathered in the capital’s Dam Square, despite gatherings of any kind being banned. The demonstrators condemned the Israelis who attended the football match.

Protest organizers said in an Instagram message that they were outraged by the “cases” of rioting as anti-Semitic and described the protest ban as draconian. “We refuse to use the accusation of anti-Semitism as a weapon to suppress Palestinian resistance.”

Meanwhile, Paris police said 4,000 officers and 1,600 stadium staff will be deployed at a French-Israeli soccer match to ensure security in and around the stadium and on public transport. France and Israel will play a UEFA Nations League match on Thursday in which French President Emmanuel Macron will also take part, the presidential palace at the Elysee said.

With input from agencies