Nearly 300 detained in Amsterdam for violating protest ban after attack on Israeli soccer fans

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Monday, November 18, 2024

Netherlands' Police officers patrol on Dam Square in Amsterdam, on Nov. 9, 2024. Extra security measures were taken in Amsterdam following violent clashes on Nov. 7, 2024, between fans of Ajax, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Turkish club Fenerbahce, who were playing another Dutch club, AZ Alkmaar. The city has a introduced a temporary ban on demonstrations throughout the capital this weekend and has also been designated a security risk area. | ROBIN UTRECHT/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Dutch police detained nearly 300 anti-Israel demonstrators who rallied in central Amsterdam in defiance of a protest ban imposed after rioters hunted down and assaulted Israelis in the street the week before.

Multiple demonstrators who gathered for the unauthorized protest on Wednesday waved Palestinian flags and chanted, "Amsterdam is saying no to genocide" and "Free Palestine."

Police in riot gear apprehended members of the group, put them on buses and drove them to the outskirts of town, as The Times of Israel reported Thursday.

The day after the protest, Dutch authorities announced an investigation following reports of police brutality. Online footage of police dispersing the protests appears to show officers using batons to strike demonstrators who had already been taken away from the rally site; however, the footage has yet to be verified.

These incidents follow multiple reports of increasing antisemitic violence and vandalism amid Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza. Israel has been at war with Hamas since the terror group's surprise invasion that killed at least 1,200 people, most of them civilians, on Oct. 7, 2023. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says around 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began but doesn't differentiate between combatants and civilians.

A press officer for the Amsterdam Police confirmed in a statement to The Christian Post that authorities are investigating the events related to Ajax Amsterdam's Nov. 7 Europa League soccer match against Maccabi Tel Aviv earlier this month.

Attackers harassed, beat and kicked fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv as they left the match in Amsterdam, as seen in footage shared online by the Israeli Embassy in the United States. Fans who were attacked, say those who ambushed them appeared to be of Arab origin.

Rioters demanded to know if the soccer fans were from Israel before beating them, with footage showing attackers continuing to hit and kick victims who were already on the ground. Some Israeli soccer fans said rioters chased and harassed them for hours with little to no intervention from the police.

In the aftermath, journalists shared screenshots of WhatsApp and Telegram conversations that appear to show activists planned to assault Israelis in Amsterdam. Rioters allegedly planned the attack because Israeli soccer fans had reportedly taken down Palestinian flags and chanted anti-Arab slogans earlier that week.

Police in the Netherlands said on Sunday that they are probing at least 45 people for crimes related to the attacks on the soccer fans, with nine already having been identified and arrested, The Times of Israel reports.

During a press conference, Amsterdam Police Chief Peter Holla said authorities took precautions in the weeks leading up to the match to ensure order. Due to announcements about a pro-Palestinian demonstration and the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the police brought in around 800 officers from around the country, including arrest units, mobile units and police on horseback.

On the evening of the soccer game, police worked to keep the Palestinian and Israeli supporters separated, the police chief said. Holla added that, at the beginning of the evening, police successfully prevented confrontations with the aid of officers on horseback.

"After the game, the outflow went well. The situation around the stadium was quiet around 11 p.m. The problems arose later in the city center," Holla said, according to The New York Post. "Groups of Maccabi supporters walked through the city center. Rioters then committed hit-and-run actions aimed at Israeli supporters. This results in a number of serious assaults in various places in the city. The exact number is now being investigated."

Despite the large police presence, Holla said it is difficult for officers to act against what he described as "flash moments spread throughout the city." The police chief said that officers gathered around Israeli soccer fans to protect them, and buses later took them back to their hotels.

"I can imagine that Israelis feel unsafe. As mentioned, their well-being is our top priority," Holla added.

Additional violence occurred last Monday evening, The Associated Press reported, as dozens of rioters armed with sticks and firecrackers set fire to a tram. Police managed to quickly extinguish the fire while riot officers moved to clear the area, and authorities were unsure if the unrest was relevant to the wave of violence from the previous week.

In footage shared online and by media outlets, at least one participant in the tram attack is heard shouting "Cancer Jews."

Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman