Israel was sending commercial flights to the Netherlands on Friday to bring home Israeli soccer fans after an overnight attack in Amsterdam that officials described as anti-Semitic, although there was evidence of offensive chants by Israeli fans.
Videos circulating on social media show police protesting and intervening in street clashes, with some attackers shouting anti-Israeli slurs. But other videos show Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday evening’s game.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were “attacked, harassed and had explosives thrown at them” and said riot police had to intervene several times to protect them and escort them to hotels.
In a statement on social media, Amsterdam police said “five people were taken to the hospital and 62 people were arrested,” without providing details of the injuries, or who was arrested.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the order to send the planes was taken after a “very violent incident” against Israeli citizens after the match between Maccabi and Ajax Amsterdam, which is often identified as a Jewish team.
Israeli airlines El Al and Arkia have announced five flights to Amsterdam.
An eyewitness captured a video confirmed by Reuters showing a group of men running near Amsterdam Central Station, chasing and beating other men, as police sirens blared.-
However, another confirmed video showed Maccabi fans on fire and chanting “Ole, ole, let the IDF win,” a reference to the Israel Defense Forces, followed by derogatory language directed at “Arabs.”
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he was “shocked by the attack on Israeli citizens,” which he called “absolutely unacceptable.”
Schoof assured Netanyahu by phone that “the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted,” he said in a statement on social media X.
I have been following the news from Amsterdam and am appalled by the antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens. This is totally unacceptable. I am in contact with all those involved and have just spoken to them @IsraelPM Netanyahu by phone to emphasize that the perpetrators will…
There is no previous warning of threats or violence in the field
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke to Dutch King Willem-Alexander, who he said “expressed great shock and horror at the crimes committed.”
Politician Geert Wilders, head of the main party in the Dutch government, said he was “ashamed that this could happen in the Netherlands.”
In his post on social media X, he accused “Muslim criminals” and said they should be deported.
Police said there were incidents before the game at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where around 3,000 Maccabi fans traveled to Amsterdam.
Halsema told reporters on Friday that the Dutch counterterror watchdog said no concrete threat to Israeli football fans had been detected before the game.
They said the fans left the stadium without any incident after the Europa League match, which Ajax won 5-0, but there was noise in the city center at night.
Antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands have been on the rise since Israel launched its offensive on Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, with many Jewish organizations and schools reporting threats and hate mail.
The war in Gaza has sparked bipartisan protests across Europe and the United States, including in Amsterdam, where Herzog’s opening of a new Holocaust museum led to violent protests by pro-Palestinian activists.
More than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed and another 102,000 injured during Israel’s assault on Gaza following a Hamas-led offensive, according to health officials in the area, after the Palestinian terror group killed about 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped more than 250, according to to Israel.
