Israel football fans are ambushed and attacked by ‘anti-Semitic’ mob in Amsterdam riots leaving at least 10 injured as Netanyahu sends rescue plane to evacuate fans
Israeli and Dutch leaders have condemned ‘anti-Semitic’ attacks that broke out after a football match in Amsterdam, with Israel sending rescue planes to bring their citizens home after the ‘very violent incident’.
The Israeli embassy in the United States said “hundreds” of Maccabi fans in the Dutch capital were “ambushed and attacked” as they left the stadium after the match, blaming a “mob that acted on innocent Israelis targeted’.
Shocking video shows Israeli fans being violently beaten in the streets late last night, with reports of attackers shouting ‘liberate Palestine’ during the attacks.
Ten Israelis were hospitalized and three are said to have lost contact with their families after hours of violence, which forced people in the Dutch capital to seek shelter in shops.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said two planes were being sent to bring Israelis home safely, and urged people to stay in their hotels until help arrived.
The situation has calmed down this morning, Dutch authorities said, adding that dozens of arrests have been made.
Protesters run during a pro-Palestinian demonstration during the Ajax – Maccabi Tel-Aviv match in Amsterdam
A demonstrator with a Palestinian flag and Mobile Unit (ME) during a pro-Palestinian demonstration during Ajax – Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Anton de Komplein
Police officers set up a security cordon around a bus after the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv
An El Al plane lands on the tarmac of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport as the Israeli government prepares to evacuate civilians after attacks on football fans
The violence reached its peak after the match between Maccabi Tel-Aviv and the Dutch Ajax, in which the home team won 5-0.
Video shared on social media shows Israeli supporters tearing down a Palestinian flag in central Amsterdam as tensions rose before and after the match.
The hooded figures can be heard chanting ‘f*** you Palestine’ and anti-Arab slogans can also be heard in the footage.
Later in the evening, video footage circulated of masked attackers, some reportedly speaking Arabic, chasing Israeli fans in the city.
One video shows a man being dragged by his jacket, while the person shooting the video curses at him and shouts statements about Palestine and Gaza.
Graphic footage shows a man being attacked by a masked gang, who knock him to the ground and begin beating him, as the man appears to say, “I’m not Jewish” as he begs them to stop.
Another video shows a man covering his head as he is hit by an attacker who shouts: “This is for the children… liberate Palestine now!”
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof denounced the ‘completely unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis’.
“I have followed the reporting from Amsterdam with horror,” Schoof wrote on X, adding that he had spoken to Netanyahu to assure him that “the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted.”
Netanyahu’s office said he told Schoof that he “considers the premeditated anti-Semitic attack on Israeli citizens with the utmost seriousness and asked for greater security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands,” his office said.
British Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said on X: ‘Utterly devastating scenes from the Netherlands. Hateful mobs have chased Jewish and Israeli football fans into the streets of Amsterdam after a match, violently beating them and proudly posting the images on social media.
‘There are many injured people and three people are currently missing. This should be a turning point for Europe and for the world, as the country realizes how serious the scourge of anti-Jewish hatred has become.
“Sadly, I fear this will not be the case, and tragically this will not be the last attack of this nature, God forbid.”
Dutch media AT5 said the clashes took place around midnight. It said numerous fights and vandalism had taken place in the city center.
“A large number of mobile unit vehicles are present and reinforcements have also been called in,” the report said.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans hold a pro-Israel demonstration on Dam Square, lighting torches and chanting slogans ahead of the UEFA Europa League match
The police arrested a man on De Dam for possession of fireworks
A Dutch police spokesman said 57 people had been arrested.
Israeli authorities urged their citizens in Amsterdam to stay in their hotels and not display Israeli or Jewish symbols when they do go out.
The military said it was coordinating a “rescue mission” with cargo planes and medical and rescue teams.
Israel’s new Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement that he had sought the Dutch government’s assistance in ensuring the safe exit of Israeli citizens from their hotels to the airport.
Images on AT5 showed Dutch police escorting fans to their hotels.
On Thursday, Amsterdam police said on social media that they were being particularly vigilant after several incidents, including the pulling down of a Palestinian flag from a building.
A pro-Palestinian demonstration against the visit of the Israeli football club was initially scheduled to take place near the stadium, but was moved by the Amsterdam city council for security reasons.