Israel came close to sending planes to pick up their citizens, but this report says they held off after talking with Dutch officials. Some sites are portraying this as something more sinister, but it appears to be soccer hooliganism with both sides acting out. I guess because soccer is so boring, fans need to stir up something more interesting?
Fans told Haaretz that some attacks seemed like planned ambushes, as at least 10 Israelis were wounded ■ Local police report 62 people arrested after the game ■ Israel’s National Security Council confirmed local security forces are deployed ■ Dutch PM condemned the attacks as ‘unacceptable antisemitic acts’ ■ Israel’s Diaspora Ministry said it warned Netherlands about intention to target Israelis
Israeli football supporters and Dutch youth clash near Amsterdam Central station, on Friday.Credit: X/iAnnet/ ReutersJonathan LisOfer AderetAvshalom HalutzReutersBen SamuelsNitzan Livneh
Israeli soccer fans who traveled to the Netherlands for the Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Ajax Amsterdam Europa League match on Thursday were attacked at several locations across Amsterdam after the game. Assailants shouted “Free Palestine” and hurled insults in Arabic as they targeted Israelis.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry reported that 10 Israelis were wounded in the attacks. Local police reported that 62 people were arrested after the game as pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to reach the stadium despite a protest ban.
תקיפת אוהדים ישראלים באמסטרדם, הלילה
(שימוש לפי סעיף 27א’ לחוק זכויות יוצרים) pic.twitter.com/naMtoWSdxa— הארץ חדשות (@haaretznewsvid) November 8, 2024
Dutch police have opened a major investigation into the violent incidents. While rumors about potential hostages circulated on social media, no evidence has been found to support these claims at this point. Some of the missing Israelis have since been located.
Israel’s National Security Council and Foreign Ministry announced that local security forces have been deployed across Amsterdam, and Israelis can currently reach the airport using public transport, updating their earlier instruction for Israelis in the city to remain in their hotel rooms.
Many of the attacks appeared to be planned ambushes, with attackers waiting at various points in the city as fans returned from the match by train. Videos circulating online show assailants confronting Israelis, asking where they are from, and then beating anyone they believe to be Israeli.
Some of the videos: pic.twitter.com/sd60kM1wIS— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) November 8, 2024
One fan, Yaakov Masri, told Israel’s Channel 13 News that he was attacked by around 15 young Arab men, some of whom were armed with knives and clubs, as he left the game with his son.
“They started hitting us, they broke my face, knocked out a tooth, cut my lip,” he said. “My son got punched twice in the face.” He added that he is now locked in his hotel room with tables blocking the door. “We called the police to send a patrol car, but they said they’re occupied with other incidents. I’m in pain,” he said.
Another fan, Yarin Chai Yitzhak, reported being punched in the face and kicked in the stomach. He added that after the incident, local police escorted him back to his hotel to retrieve his belongings.
Following the attacks, the Israeli military banned all IDF personnel from traveling to the Netherlands until further notice.
⚠️ Graphic videos ⚠️
Hundreds of fans of the @MaccabiTLVFC soccer team were ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam tonight as they left the stadium following a game against @AFCAjax.
The mob who targeted these innocent Israelis has proudly shared their violent acts on social media.… pic.twitter.com/R3vRAIKrIG— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) November 8, 2024
After the Israeli army announced it would send a rescue delegation to Amsterdam “in coordination with the Dutch government,” the Prime Minister’s Office reversed the decision and said it would focus its efforts on “civilian solutions” for Israeli citizens staying in Amsterdam.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, urging swift action against the violence and antisemitism in Amsterdam and immediate help to evacuate Israelis. The king strongly condemned the attack, comparing it to the Netherlands’ failure to protect Jews during the Holocaust, stating, “We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during World War II, and last night we failed again.”
Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, acknowledged the violence, stating that despite a massive police presence, Israeli fans were injured. She also announced additional security measures to protect Jewish institutions in the city.
The images from #Amsterdam are horrific and deeply shameful for us in Europe. The outbreak of such violence against Jews crosses all boundaries. There is no justification whatsoever for such violence. Jews must be safe in Europe. – @ABaerbock https://t.co/5dk4C8k6ap— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) November 8, 2024
Supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv hold flags at Dam square ahead of the Europa League football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday.Credit: AFP/JEROEN JUMELET
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office condemned the attacks: “The prime minister demands that the Dutch government and security forces act firmly against the rioters and ensure the safety of our citizens,” a statement read.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof expressed strong condemnation of the attacks, describing them as “completely unacceptable antisemitic attacks on Israelis,” and assured Netanyahu that those responsible would be tracked down and prosecuted.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that he will travel to Amsterdam in the coming hours, where he will meet with his Dutch counterpart and local Jewish community leaders. Sa’ar said that Israel is in contact with Dutch authorities, and has asked them to help ensure Israeli citizens’ safe arrival at the airport.
Israel’s Diaspora Ministry issued a warning about potential attacks on Israelis in Amsterdam, following a serious alert received around 7 P.M. The warning highlighted a planned pro-Palestinian demonstration, with specific threats to a Border Police soldier attending the game and possible clashes near the Leonardo Hotel, where Israelis were staying.
Yad Vashem expressed concern over the escalation of antisemitism in the Netherlands, with Chairman Dani Dayan pointing out the troubling timing, as the anniversary of Kristallnacht approaches. “It is alarming that 86 years later, we’re witnessing another planned attack on Jews,” he said.
YV stands in solidarity w/ the victims of last night’s disturbing pogrom in Amesterdam. As we mark the anniversary of The November Pogrom of 1938, “Kristallnacht”, YV urges leaders to combat rising antisemitism decisively.
For YV’s full statement, https://t.co/56epLrRCNa— Yad Vashem (@yadvashem) November 8, 2024
Deborah Lipstadt, the outgoing U.S. special antisemitism envoy said that she was “Horrified by the attacks tonight in Amsterdam, which are terribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom. I am also deeply disturbed by how long the reported attacks lasted and call on the government to conduct a thorough investigation into security force intervention and on how these despicable attacks transpired.
In terrible historical irony, this is happening two days before the grim anniversary of Reichspogromnacht in 1938, when Nazi-sanctioned and led pogroms against Jews erupted across the German Reich.”
Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders wrote on X that it “looks like a Jew hunt in the streets of Amsterdam. Arrest and deport the multicultural scum that attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in our streets. Ashamed that this can happen in the Netherlands. Totally unacceptable.”
Looks like a Jew hunt in the streets of Amsterdam. Arrest and deport the multicultural scum that attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in our streets. Ashamed that this can happen in The Netherlands. Totally unacceptable. https://t.co/Ju54TO27Ks— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) November 8, 2024
Gisteravond sprak ik op de herdenking van Kristallnacht over de enorme toename van antisemitisme in NL. Nog geen 3 uur later rijden barbaren op scooters door onze hoofdstad op jacht naar Israëli’s en Joden. Afschuwelijk en onacceptabel! We gaan ze opsporen en straffen.— David van Weel (@ministerjenv) November 8, 2024
Several other Dutch politicians, including Dilan Yesilgöz, Rob Jetten, and Mirjam Bikker, expressed outrage, with Yesilgöz calling it “pure hatred against Jews” and Jetten describing the attacks as “horrific” and “shameful.” Frans Timmermans of the GroenLinks-PvdA party demanded swift action, stating, “It is unacceptable that Jewish Israelis don’t feel safe in Amsterdam.”
Chanan Hertzberger, chair of the Central Jewish Consultation in the Netherlands, condemned the violence in Amsterdam on Kristallnacht’s commemoration, calling it “a pogrom reminiscent of Nazi Germany.” He added that the Jewish community set up an emergency shelter for Israeli fans in response.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also shared videos on social media showing attacks on Israelis, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the incidents an example of “unimaginable cruelty” toward Jewish and Israeli citizens.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau rejected calls to relocate Thursday’s France-Israel soccer match, saying it would mean conceding to violence and antisemitism. “France does not back down in the face of threats,” he stated, adding that Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nuñez is implementing all necessary security measures for the game to proceed at the Stade de France as planned.
Deborah Lipstadt, the outgoing U.S. special antisemitism envoy, said the attacks were “terribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom,” and wrote: “I am also deeply disturbed by how long the reported attacks lasted and call on the government to conduct a thorough investigation into security force intervention and on how these despicable attacks transpired.”
Horrified by the attacks tonight in Amsterdam, which are terribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom. I am also deeply disturbed by how long the reported attacks lasted and call on the government to conduct a thorough investigation into security force intervention and on how these…— Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt (@StateSEAS) November 8, 2024
According to Dutch media, the incidents in Amsterdam did not come out of the blue. On Wednesday, Amsterdam Mayor Halsema banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration scheduled to take place near the stadium where Maccabi Tel Aviv played, and she informed council members that authorities were aware of rising tensions over the war in Gaza. Additionally, at least two people were arrested Thursday following a clash between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli fans in the city center.
The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that on the night between Wednesday and Thursday, Israelis set fire to a Palestinian flag in a square in Amsterdam and attacked drivers in the area.
Videos on social media showed Israeli fans singing songs expressing joy over the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza and chanting, “Let the IDF win – let’s fuck the Arabs.” In another video, an Israeli was filmed removing a Palestinian flag from a building, while his friends cheered and shouted, “Burn it already, and be done with it.”
According to the RTL website, Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, described as “hooligans,” were involved in several clashes on Thursday night, including fights with pro-Palestinian groups and an assault on a taxi driver. After the incident, other taxi drivers reportedly confronted the Israeli fans, who later took refuge in the Amsterdam Casino.
The site POW published images of Israeli fans removing Palestinian flags from houses in the city, including one large flag on Rokin street while shouting, “Fuck you, Palestine.” There are also reports of a Palestinian flag being set on fire.
Ajax, Amsterdam’s main soccer team, is one of several European soccer teams that are seen as historically Jewish. For decades, many non-Jewish Ajax fans referred to themselves as “Jews” and waved Israeli flags at matches, while rival fans taunted Ajax supporters with antisemitic imagery and chants about Hamas, gas chambers, Nazis and burning Jews.
Before the game, Ajax fans hung pamphlets against Maccabi Tel Aviv and displayed Palestinian flags in areas where Israeli fans were staying.