EXPLAINER
News
10 Nov 2024
Israel-Palestine
conflict
Israeli
football fans, pro-Palestinians attacked in Amsterdam: What we know
Tensions in
the capital of the Netherlands had been brewing after Maccabi football fans
took down a Palestine flag.
The Dutch
capital of Amsterdam is under strict security measures after clashes erupted
this week between pro-Palestine supporters and fans of an Israeli football club
before a UEFA Europa League match.
Tensions
first escalated when Israeli football fans reportedly took down a Palestinian
flag and chanted anti-Arab slogans – like “F*** you Palestine” and “No children
left in Gaza”, according to videos verified by Reuters and eyewitnesses Al
Jazeera spoke to on the ground – before their club’s match with a Dutch team.
What
happened in Amsterdam, and when?
Tensions in
the city started building on Wednesday when supporters of the Israeli football
club Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived in Amsterdam. Their match against Ajax, a Dutch
football club, was scheduled for the next day.
Later on
Wednesday, Maccabi fans burned a Palestinian flag in the central Dam Square and
vandalised a taxi, Amsterdam’s Police Chief Peter Holla told a news conference
on Friday. A video verified by Reuters showed Maccabi fans setting off flares
and chanting, “Ole, ole, let the [Israeli army] win, and F*** the Arabs”.
Israeli fans
also attacked houses displaying Palestinian flags, Jazie Veldhuyzen, a member
of the Amsterdam City Council, told Al Jazeera.
On Thursday
evening, Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were chanting anti-Arab slogans as they
marched towards the football stadium, video footage showed. Police escorted the
fans to the match, and local authorities banned pro-Palestinian demonstrators
from gathering outside the stadium. A pro-Palestinian march had been organised
nearby at Anton de Komplein Square.
Ajax won the
UEFA Europa League match against Maccabi 5-0. The game proceeded smoothly.
Following
the match, groups on scooters targeted the Maccabi supporters as they made
their way to the city centre.
Riot police
intervened. Some fans were escorted to their hotels by bus with police escorts.
An additional 600 police officers were deployed.
Sixty-two
individuals were detained in connection with the attacks as police officers
tried to control the situation. Ten remained in custody on Friday, the city’s
chief public prosecutor, Rene de Beukelaer, told reporters at a news conference
on Friday. On Saturday, Amsterdam prosecutors said 10 people are suspected of
crimes including vandalism, while 40 suspects have been given fines for
disturbing public order.
Further
arrests could be made as Amsterdam police pore through security camera footage,
social media posts, and other evidence to identify those involved in the
clashes.
Where did it
happen?
The clashes
erupted in Amsterdam’s city centre, around Dam Square and Amsterdam Central
Station.
Police said
that the fans left the stadium calmly and without clashes.
How have
authorities responded?
Amsterdam’s
Mayor Femke Halsema, who had called the attacks “anti-Semitic hit-and-run
squads”, imposed a temporary three-day ban on demonstrations, effective from
Friday to Sunday.
Emergency
measures, including stop-and-search powers and a ban on face coverings, have
also been imposed.
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the country’s spy agency,
Mossad, to develop a plan to prevent violence at international events, he
announced in a video statement. “I have instructed the head of the Mossad
[David Barnea] and other officials to prepare our courses of action, our alert
system and our organisation for a new situation,” Netanyahu stated.
The Israeli
government initially ordered two planes to be sent to Amsterdam to bring fans
home, but later, Netanyahu’s office announced it would arrange commercial
flights instead.
Many fans
were escorted by police-protected buses to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
Maccabi
advised its supporters to remain in hotels and avoid wearing or displaying
visible Jewish symbols until departure. UEFA, European football’s governing
body, said it would investigate the incident and review security protocols for
future matches.
Was anyone
hurt?
Five
individuals were hospitalised and released on Friday, Amsterdam police
confirmed, although they provided no further information about whether the
injured were Dutch or Israeli.
An
additional 20 to 30 people suffered minor injuries. Israel’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs said 10 Israelis were injured.
Mayor
Halsema said Maccabi Tel Aviv fans had been “attacked, abused and pelted with
fireworks” around the city.
At least one
fan reported injuries from a rock thrown at his head.
Additionally,
Amsterdam police spokesperson Sara Tillart said it was too early in their
investigation to determine whether any people other than football fans were
targeted.
What’s the
latest on the ground?
Order in
Amsterdam had been restored by around 3am local time (02:00 GMT) on Friday, said Police Chief Holla.
Heightened security measures remain in place, particularly around Jewish
buildings and monuments.
What
international reaction has there been?
Israel’s
close ally United States President Biden condemned the attacks as “despicable”
and said they “echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted”.
United
Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed shock about the events, a
UN spokesperson said.
Meanwhile,
the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca
Albanese, criticised Western media outlets for minimising the actions of the
Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv ahead of the clashes.
Dima Said
from the Palestine Football Association said the incident’s framing as
anti-Semitic was unfortunate. “It was very unfortunate for us as Palestinians,
to keep framing this incident [as] anti-Semitic, instead of addressing the main
question, which is, why are Israeli clubs like Maccabi Tel Aviv permitted to
compete on international stages while Israel is committing acts of genocide,
occupation and dispossession of Palestinians?” she said to Al Jazeera, speaking
from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
What’s next?
The past few
days of violence have raised safety concerns about future matches involving
Israeli teams in Europe. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s next scheduled away game in the
Europa League is against the Turkish club Besiktas. Turkish authorities have
already decided that the match will not be played in Istanbul and are
discussing an alternative neutral venue.
Meanwhile,
France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed that the Israeli national
football team’s match in Paris for the Nations League would proceed as
scheduled on November 14.
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