Violent Attacks in Amsterdam Tied to Antisemitism

 

Violent Attacks in Amsterdam Tied to Antisemitism

 

The police said 57 people were arrested amid violence tied to a soccer game between Dutch and Israeli teams. Israel said it was sending planes to rescue its citizens.

 

John Yoon Jin Yu Young Claire Moses

By John YoonJin Yu Young and Claire Moses

Nov. 8, 2024

Updated 2:26 a.m. ET

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/08/world/europe/amsterdam-israel-soccer-fans-attacked.html

 

The Israeli government said it was sending two planes to the Netherlands on Friday to rescue citizens injured in Amsterdam after bursts of violence tied to a soccer game between a Dutch and an Israeli team, which Israeli and Dutch officials described as antisemitic attacks.

 

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said at least 10 Israeli citizens had been hurt in the violence and two others were missing. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the sending of the rescue planes and said that he had spoken with Prime Minister Dick Schoof of the Netherlands.

 

Mr. Schoof said in a statement early Friday that there had been antisemitic attacks on Israelis in Amsterdam, calling them “completely unacceptable.” He added that the situation had calmed and that he had told Mr. Netanyahu in their phone conversation that the perpetrators would be found and prosecuted.

 

For hours, from Thursday evening to early Friday, hundreds of fans of the Israeli soccer club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, who were in Amsterdam to see their team play against Ajax, Amsterdam’s soccer team, were being ambushed, the Embassy of Israel in the Netherlands said.

 

“Mobs chanted anti-Israel slogans and proudly shared videos of their violent acts on social media — kicking, beating, even running over Israeli citizens,” the embassy said on social media.

 

As the attacks went on, Israel warned its citizens in Amsterdam to stay off the streets and remain in their hotel rooms. Maccabi Tel Aviv warned people not to show Israeli or Jewish symbols outside, and urged them to fly back to Israel as soon as they could.

 

“Our main goal is the safe and quick return of the fans to Israel,” the team wrote on social media.

 

Videos circulated on social media showing violent clashes on Amsterdam’s streets. One video verified by Reuters captured a crowd of more than a dozen men appearing to attack someone near the city center early Friday. The crowd dispersed when emergency sirens could be heard.

 

“We woke up this morning to shocking images and videos that since October 7th, we had hoped never to see again: an antisemitic pogrom,” said Isaac Herzog, Israel’s president, on social media on Friday.

 

The Dutch police said in a statement on Friday that 57 arrests were made in connection with the unrest, some of which took place at or near the Johan Cruyff Arena, where the soccer game was played.

 

The clashes, which began Thursday, happened in areas where people had gathered, some in support of the Israeli team and others to protest its arrival, the police statement said.

 

Hundreds of Maccabi supporters gathered in Amsterdam’s center early Thursday afternoon, where the atmosphere was initially tense but gradually became calmer, the police said in the statement. Ten people were arrested there before the game, the police said, mostly on charges of disrupting the public order.

 

At another square called Anton de Komplein, which is near the stadium, people protesting the arrival of Maccabi Tel Aviv clashed with the military police after trying to make their way to the stadium. Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, had earlier prohibited the protest from happening at the stadium and ordered it to take place at that square.

 

About 30 people were arrested in that confrontation on charges of disrupting the public order and setting off fireworks at the police, the police said.

 

Gideon Saar, Israel’s newly appointed foreign minister, said that his ministry was working with the Dutch authorities to respond to the violence, and that those needing help should contact the authorities.

 

Qasim Nauman, Nadav Gavrielov and Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.

 

John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news. More about John Yoon

 

Jin Yu Young reports on South Korea, the Asia Pacific region and global breaking news from Seoul. More about Jin Yu Young

 

Claire Moses is a Times reporter in London, focused on coverage of breaking and trending news. More about Claire Moses