Amsterdam is reflecting on a dark chapter in its history after violent ‘anti-Semitic’ attacks on Israeli football fans, the city’s mayor said today, with questions mounting over how the situation was able to spiral so far out of control.
The Dutch King Willem-Alexander shared his ‘deep horror and shock’ over the events in a call with Isaac Herzog, telling the Israeli president: ‘We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during World War Two, and last night we failed again.’
Hundreds of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were reportedly ‘ambushed and attacked’ in the Dutch capital as they left Ajax’s stadium following a Europa League match between the two sides.
Shocking videos flooded social media showing Israeli fans being violently beaten on the streets late last night, with reports that assailants shouted ‘free Palestine‘ during the attacks.
Israelis were reportedly injured in ‘hit and run’ attacks by ‘scooter gangs’ according to Mayor Femke Halsema, who labelled the violence an ‘explosion of anti-Semitism’ and a ‘black night and dark day’ for the city.
Security forces have been given emergency powers following the violence, with police able to search people and face coverings and protests banned across the city as they try to reassure the Jewish community.
What we know so far:
- Emergency measures are now in place – a ban on protests and face coverings
- Around 800 police personnel were deployed overnight as the situation spiralled
- Authorities said 10 of the 62 people arrested are still being held by police
- Police said five were hospitalised, but Israeli officials say 10 were injured in total
Ten people were injured in the violence, Israeli officials said, with the Times of Israel and other outlets in the country reporting that the attacks were largely perpetrated by Amsterdam locals of Arabic origin.
Police are still trying to establish exactly who was behind the horrific attacks, which saw masked men chase down, beat and kick Israeli fans scenes which prompted the Israeli government to intervene.
It urged Israelis to stay inside their hotels and not have Jewish symbols on show if they did go outside, and announced two military cargo planes to repatriate citizens before these were later stood down.
Mayor Halsema said at a press conference today: ‘I do understand that this reminds us of pogroms, and that this has happened in Amsterdam is reprehensible.
‘The history of our city has been deeply damaged, the Jewish culture has been threatened.’
She added that city police had been taken by surprise after security services failed to flag the match against Ajax Amsterdam, traditionally identified as a Jewish club, as high-risk.
Emergency measures now have come into force in Amsterdam and the Amstelveen suburbs to its south today following the violence, authorities announced.
They will enable police to conduct additional searches on people and include a ban on protests and face coverings, while buildings which are potential targets will receive extra protection.
Some 800 police officers deployed to tackle the violence, but police today admitted that things got out of control.
People who were out in the city at the time were forced to seek shelter in shops, according to reports, while hundreds of Israelis shut themselves in their hotels as they waited for the violence to subside.
One victim suffered a broken leg after being set upon by gang members, according to Dutch media, with authorities saying the rioters were ‘actively looking for Israeli fans’.
‘This outbreak of violence against Israeli fans has crossed all boundaries and cannot be justified,’ police said in a news conference.
The situation calmed by this morning, police said, adding that dozens of arrests had been made after riot cops were seen tackling some of the gatherings.
Jewish groups however have slammed the authorities’ efforts as ‘lax policing’, with many criticising the apparent absence of police in videos showing attacks online.
The clashes reached their peak after the game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dutch team Ajax, which saw the home side win 5-0.
Hundreds of Maccabi supporters gathered at the National Monunment in Dam Square, with police making several arrests in the area for breach of peace.
Video shared on social media shows Israeli supporters pulling down a Palestinian flag in central Amsterdam as tensions rose before and after the match.
The hooded figures are heard making chanting ‘f*** you Palestine’, and anti-Arab slogans can also be heard in the footage.
Later in the night, video circulated of masked attackers, some reportedly speaking Arabic, chasing down Israeli fans in the city.
One video shows a man being dragged by his coat, with the person taking the video swearing at him and shouting statements in support of Gaza.
Graphic footage shows a man being set on by a masked gang who knock him to the ground and start punching him, as he appears to say ‘I am not Jewish’ and pleads with them to stop.
Further video shows a man covering his head as he is hit by an attacker yelling ‘this is for the children… free Palestine now!’
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof denounced the ‘completely unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis’.
‘I followed with horror the coverage from Amsterdam,’ Schoof wrote on X, adding that he had spoken with Netanyahu to assure him that ‘the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted’.
Netanyahu’s office said he told Schoof that he ‘views the premeditated anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens with utmost seriousness and [has] requested increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands’.
The King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander shared a statement saying he had spoken with Israeli president Isaac Herzog about the events of last night.
‘I told him how shocked my wife and I were by the violence against Israeli supporters who are guests in our country,’ the statement read.
‘We must not look away from antisemitic behaviour on our streets. History has taught us how intimidation goes from bad to worse, with horrific consequences. Jewish people must feel safe in the Netherlands, everywhere and at all times. We embrace them all and hold them close.’
Britain’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said on X: ‘Utterly devastating scenes from The Netherlands. Hateful mobs have chased down Jewish & Israeli football fans on the streets of Amsterdam after a match, violently beating them and proudly posting the footage on social media.
‘Many are injured and three people are currently missing. This should be a watershed moment for Europe and for the world, when it realises how severe the scourge of anti-Jewish hatred has become.
‘Sadly, I fear it will not be and that tragically, this will not be the last such attack, God forbid.’
The head of the Holocaust Educational Trust, Karen Pollock CBE, said of the events: ‘We are absolutely horrified at the shocking scenes from Amsterdam where Israeli and Jewish football fans have been hunted down, threatened and beaten up.
‘We are reminded yet again that anti-Semitism starts with words but ends in violence. To see this on the eve of Kristallnacht where Jewish people were attacked, their homes, businesses and synagogues destroyed; and in the city of Anne Frank, must be a wake-up call for the authorities in European countries to deal with this rise of racism.
‘We will redouble our efforts to call out this Jew hatred and demand urgent action whenever and wherever anti-Semitism rears its head.
‘We must all – Jews and non-Jews alike – say enough is enough.’
Tory MP Robert Jenrick posted on X: ‘These weren’t ‘clashes’. It was a modern-day pogrom. And another warning to the West about the consequences of mass migration and failed integration. Wake up before it’s too late.’
Dutch media outlet AT5 said the clashes occurred around midnight. It said that numerous fights, as well as acts of vandalism, had occurred in the city centre.
‘A large number of mobile unit vehicles are present and reinforcements have also been called in,’ it said.
A Dutch police spokesperson said that 57 people had been arrested. Authorities said the police presence will continue in the city today.
The army said earlier that it was coordinating a ‘rescue mission’ with cargo aircraft and medical and rescue teams.
Israel’s new foreign minister Gideon Saar said in a statement that he had requested the Dutch government’s assistance in ensuring Israeli citizens’ safe exit from their hotels to the airport.
Images on AT5 showed Dutch police escorting fans back to their hotels.
Amsterdam police said on social media yesterday that they were being particularly vigilant in the wake of several incidents, including the tearing down of a Palestinian flag from a building.
A pro-Palestinian rally demonstrating against the Israeli football club’s visit was initially scheduled to take place near the stadium but was relocated by the Amsterdam city council for security reasons.
