Dutch King Urges Action Against Antisemitism After Assaults on Israeli Football Fans

The Dutch monarch stated that Jewish individuals must experience security within the Netherlands, following aggressive assaults targeting Israeli football supporters in central Amsterdam. King Willem-Alexander remarked that “our history has taught us how intimidation goes from bad to worse,” further noting that the nation should not disregard “antisemitic behaviour.” According to authorities, young individuals on scooters traversed the Dutch capital, conducting “hit-and-run” assaults on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans who were in Amsterdam for a Europa League fixture. Law enforcement reported that five individuals received hospital treatment, while others sustained minor injuries. A minimum of 62 arrests have been made. Amsterdam’s Mayor Femke Halsema expressed at a Friday press conference, “My heart goes out to the victims and to their families here and in Israel as well.” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof returned prematurely from a European Union leaders’ summit in Budapest, stating he had been monitoring the events with horror. He pledged, “The perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted.” The aggression that occurred on Thursday night drew condemnation from leaders throughout Europe, the United States, and Israel. For numerous observers, its timing was particularly unsettling, coinciding with the eve of commemorations for Kristallnacht, the Nazi pogroms against German Jews in 1938. During the Holocaust in World War Two, three-quarters of the Jewish population in the Netherlands were killed. The king referenced this historical context, stating: “Jews must feel safe in the Netherlands, everywhere and at all times. We put our arms around them and will not let them go.” US President Joe Biden commented that the assaults “echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted.” Prior to Thursday’s match, the preceding night had already seen disturbances and some arrests, involving both Maccabi supporters and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Police chief Peter Holla verified that incidents had occurred “on both sides.” Israeli supporters had taken down a Palestinian flag from a wall, ignited it, and assaulted a taxi, though he noted there were no additional disturbances until the subsequent night. Additionally, reports emerged of supporters igniting fireworks. An unverified video depicted fans descending an escalator while chanting anti-Arab slogans. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced “anti-Arab chants” and an “attack on the Palestinian flag,” urging the Dutch government to “protect Palestinians and Arabs” residing in the Netherlands. The national coordinator for combating antisemitism in the Netherlands declared that a boundary had been breached and described the “readiness to commit such violence was disgusting.” Mayor Halsema stated that the Dutch counter-terror coordinator NCTV had not identified any specific threat concerning the match itself, given the absence of animosity between the two clubs’ fan bases. The game, where Ajax delivered a decisive 5-0 defeat to the visiting team, proceeded without incident. However, the disorder escalated rapidly thereafter. Halsema described supporters being “attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks” as they proceeded from the Johan Cruyff Arena toward central Amsterdam. Police initially indicated uncertainty regarding the participants in the disturbances, though the mayor subsequently mentioned young men on scooters. She deliberately refrained from providing specifics about the ethnic origins of those implicated in the assault, stressing that this information was integral to the ongoing police investigation. Multiple videos circulated across social media platforms; one depicted a man being kicked and beaten while on the ground, and another showed an individual being run over. In certain unverified videos, individuals were audible shouting pro-Palestinian slogans. Two British tourists reported being assaulted while attempting to assist an Israeli man who was being beaten by individuals on mopeds. Jacob, aged 33, informed the BBC that he witnessed “10 people stamping and kicking” the man, and that they had observed “lots of little gangs chasing people.” When questioned about whether local residents were incited by the removal of a Palestinian flag in the city, the mayor asserted that the events in her city’s center were unrelated to protests concerning the Middle East situation. Halsema conveyed to reporters, “I am deeply ashamed of the behaviour that unfolded.” She added, “On Telegram [messaging] groups people talked of going to hunt down Jews. It’s so terrible I can’t find the words for it.” Telegram issued a statement indicating it had shut down a group chat on its platform that “may have been linked to the disturbance.” The company affirmed its intolerance for “calls to violence” and its commitment to cooperate with Dutch authorities. The mayor corroborated accounts of taxi drivers’ involvement in the assaults, following a statement from the head of the Netherlands’ Central Jewish Committee (CJO) that they had “moved in groups and cornered their targets.” Israeli airline El Al announced it was conducting complimentary “rescue flights” to Amsterdam to transport passengers back to Israel. By Friday, these flights began landing at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, where arriving passengers were surrounded by reporters in the arrival hall, who sought their accounts of the violence. Israeli President Isaac Herzog referred to a “pogrom” targeting Maccabi fans and Israeli citizens. Herzog stated on X his confidence that Dutch authorities would promptly act to “protect, locate and rescue all Israelis and Jews under attack.” The aggression in Amsterdam has prompted concerns regarding the safety of Israeli supporters in other European locations. Israel’s national security council had advised fans to refrain from attending a basketball game in the Italian city of Bologna on Friday, citing the potential for “copycat actions,” although no incidents of violence were reported after the EuroLeague match. Italian media reported that Bologna’s police chief provided a special escort for the Israeli players’ journey to the match, which Virtus Bologna won with a score of 84-77.