Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam. The violence was condemned as antisemitic
Israeli fans were assaulted after a soccer game in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently riled up by calls on social media to target Jewish people, Dutch authorities said Friday. Five people were treated at hospitals and dozens were arrested after the attacks, which were condemned as antisemitic by authorities in Amsterdam, Israel and across Europe.
Reports of antisemitic speech, vandalism and violence have been on the rise across Europe since the start of the war in Gaza, and tensions mounted in the Dutch capital ahead of Thursday night’s Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were banned by local authorities from gathering outside the stadium, and video showed a large crowd of Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans on their way to the game. Afterward, youths on scooters and on foot crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then fleeing quickly to evade police, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said.
On the social media platform Telegram, “there is talk of people going on a Jew hunt," Halsema said. "That is so shocking and so despicable that I still cannot fathom it.” Dutch Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel vowed to track down and prosecute all of the perpetrators.
Police had to escort some fans back to hotels, according to authorities.
Ofek Ziv, a Maccabi fan from the Israeli city of Petah Tikva, said someone — he didn’t see who — threw a rock at him as he and a friend left the stadium. He was hit in the head, causing light bleeding. He said a group of men began to chase him, before he and his friend got into a taxi, picking up other fans. They took shelter at a hotel.
"I'm very scared, it's very striking," Ziv said. "And the police didn't come to help us."
Another Israeli fan, Alyia Cohen, said upon arriving back in Israel that he would go back to Amsterdam for future matches. "We are not afraid of anything, ours is the people of Israel."
Five people were treated in the hospital and released, while some 20 to 30 people suffered light injuries, police said. At least 62 suspects were arrested, with 10 still in custody, the city's public prosecutor, Rene de Beukelaer, told reporters at a news conference Friday.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he "views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity." He demanded that the Dutch government take "vigorous and swift action" against those involved.
Condemnation of the violence poured in from around Europe. "Antisemitism has absolutely no place in Europe, and we are determined to fight it and to fight all forms of hatred," said Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. "We want Jewish life and culture to thrive in Europe."
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned the violence and flew home early from a European Union summit in Hungary.
The attacks shattered Amsterdam's long-cherished view of itself as a beacon of tolerance and haven for persecuted religions, including Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain who fled to the city centuries ago.
Police said security will be beefed up at Jewish institutions across the city, which has a large Jewish community and was home to Jewish World War II diarist Anne Frank and her family as they hid from Nazi occupiers.
Halsema, Amsterdam's mayor, described the violence as "an eruption of antisemitism that we had hoped never again to see in Amsterdam."
In the past, Ajax was known as a soccer club with links to Amsterdam's Jewish community because visiting fans had to pass the city's Jewish quarter to get to the club's former stadium. Ajax fans sometimes wave Star of David flags and chant the Dutch word for Jews.
Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, flew to Amsterdam on Friday and in a message on X he said that hatred of Jews is "appearing in place after place after place."
Saar met with the Dutch minister for security and justice, pledging Israeli help in the investigation, and also held talks with Geert Wilders, a far right, anti-Islam lawmaker whose party won national elections last year.
Amsterdam police spokeswoman Sara Tillart said it was too early in their investigation to say if anybody other than soccer fans was targeted. Authorities outlawed demonstrations across the city for the weekend and gave police extra powers to frisk people.
Israel's government initially ordered two planes sent to Amsterdam to bring fans home, but Netanyahu's office later said it would work to help citizens arrange commercial flights.
Maccabi's CEO, Ben Mansford, spoke to reporters at Israel's international airport as some fans returned. "Lots of people went to watch a football game ... to support Israel, to support the star of David," he said. For them to be attacked, "that's very sad times for us all given the last year we've had."
Tensions had been brewing in Amsterdam for days ahead of the match. A Palestinian flag was torn down from a building in Amsterdam on Wednesday, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported, and authorities banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the stadium.
Ahead of the game, large crowds of supporters of the Israeli team could be seen on video chanting anti-Arab slogans as they headed to the stadium, escorted by police.
"Let the IDF win, and (expletive) the Arabs," the fans chanted, using the acronym of the Israeli military, as they shook their fists. It also showed police pushing several pro-Palestinian protesters away from a Maccabi fan gathering in a square earlier in the day.
Security issues around hosting games against visiting Israeli teams led the Belgian soccer federation to decline to stage a men's Nations League game in September. That game against Israel was played in Hungary with no fans in the stadium.
Israel was exiled from the Asian Football Confederation in the 1970s after Arab nations refused to play against it. Israel played in European qualifying for the 1982 World Cup and has been a member of European soccer body UEFA since 1994.
The violence in Amsterdam will no doubt lead to a review of security at upcoming matches involving Israeli teams. UEFA had announced Monday that a Maccabi match initially to be played in Istanbul on Nov. 28 against the Turkish team Besiktas, would be moved to a yet-to-be-decided neutral venue.
Italian police said security was increased for Maccabi Tel Aviv's basketball game at Virtus Bologna Friday night, both for fans and for the Maccabi team.
Israel's national soccer team is scheduled to play France in Paris on Nov. 14 in the Nations League. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Friday the match would go ahead as planned.
"I think that for a symbolic reason we must not yield, we must not give up," he said, noting that sports fans from around the world came together for the Paris Olympics this year to celebrate the "universal values" of sports.
Associated Press reporters Julia Frankel and Ibrahim Hazboun in Jerusalem, Lee Keath in Cairo, Graham Dunbar in Geneva, and Raf Casert in Brussels, contributed to this report.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Police question man with gun, suppressor and fake IDs in Pennsylvania in connection with health care CEO killing, sources say
Police are questioning a man in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in connection with the shooting and killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter tell CNN.
Family spokesman says slain Edmonton security guard had only been working 3 days
A spokesman for the family of a security guard who police say was murdered while patrolling an Edmonton apartment building last week says the man had only been on the job for three days.
GST break could cost Ottawa $2.7B if provinces don't waive compensation: PBO
The federal government's GST holiday would cost as much as $2.7 billion if provinces with a harmonized sales tax asked for compensation, the parliamentary budget officer said on Monday.
BREAKING Canadian government to table fall economic statement next Monday
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to table the federal government’s fall economic statement next Monday, the government announced today.
Hazardous conditions expected in some parts of Canada with weather warnings in effect
Hazardous conditions are expected in some parts of Canada this week.
Police search for three men who escaped from immigration holding centre in Quebec
Authorities are searching for three Chilean nationals who escaped from the Laval Immigration Holding Centre north of Montreal.
Sask. hockey player recovering after near fatal skate accident during game
The Sask East Hockey League (SEHL) has released details of a near fatal accident at one of its games over the weekend – which saw a Churchbridge Imperials player suffer serious injuries after being struck with a skate.
Celebrities spotted at Taylor Swift's final Eras Tour performance in Vancouver
Taylor Swift fans from around the world gathered in Vancouver on Sunday to witness the final performance of her massively popular Eras Tour, including a few celebrities.
The Canada Post strike involving more than 55,000 has hit 25 days
The Canada Post strike involving more than 55,000 workers has hit 25 days.
Local Spotlight
Man, 99, still at work 7 decades after opening eastern Ontario Christmas tree farm
This weekend is one of the busiest of the year for Christmas tree farms all over the region as the holidays approach and people start looking for a fresh smell of pine in their homes.
Saskatoon honours Bella Brave with birthday celebration
It has been five months since Bella Thompson, widely known as Bella Brave to her millions of TikTok followers, passed away after a long battle with Hirschsprung’s disease and an auto-immune disorder.
Major Manitoba fossil milestones highlight the potential for future discoveries in the province
A trio of fossil finds through the years helped put Manitoba on the mosasaur map, and the milestone of those finds have all been marked in 2024.
The 61st annual Christmas Daddies Telethon raises more than $559,000 for children in need
The 61st annual Christmas Daddies Telethon continued its proud Maritime tradition, raising more than $559,000 for children in need on Saturday.
Calgary company steps up to help grieving family with free furnace after fatal carbon monoxide poisoning
A Calgary furnace company stepped up big time Friday to help a Calgary family grieving the loss of a loved one.
'A well-loved piece': Historic carousel display from Hudson’s Bay Company store lands at Winnipeg shop
When a carousel setup from the Hudson’s Bay Company became available during an auction, a Winnipeg business owner had to have it.
Sask. doctor facing professional charges in circumcision case
A Saskatoon doctor has been accused of unprofessional conduct following a high-cost adult circumcision that included a request for the patient to text unsecured post-op pictures of his genitals.
Regina home recognized internationally for architectural design
Jane Arthur and her husband David began a unique construction project in 2014. Now, a decade later, their home in Regina's Cathedral neighbourhood has won a title in the Urban House and Villa category at the World Architecture Festival.
Calgary director Kiana Rawji turns her lens toward slums of Nairobi with 'Mama of Manyatta'
Two films shot in Kenya by a director and writer based in Brooklyn who grew up in Calgary are getting their Calgary premiere screening Saturday.