will send two commercial planes to this Friday (8) to repatriate hundreds of Israeli football fans after nighttime attacks on the streets of Amsterdam that authorities described as anti-Semitic.
Videos on social media showed riot police intervening in the clashes, with some attackers shouting anti-Israel insults.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were “attacked, mistreated and hit with fireworks” and that police intervened to protect them and escort them to their hotels. At least five people were treated at the hospital, she said.
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Security measures were reinforced in the city, where hundreds of people gathered on Thursday (7) to commemorate Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), the Nazi pogrom against Jews in Germany on November 9 and 10, 1938.
Anti-Semitic incidents have increased in the Netherlands since Israel launched its attack on Gaza following attacks on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023, with many Jewish organizations and schools reporting threats and hateful messages.
The Israeli prime minister’s office, , said the order to send planes was made after “a very violent incident” targeting Israeli citizens following the game between Maccabi and Ajax, traditionally identified as a Jewish club.
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“This is a serious incident, a warning sign for any country that wishes to defend the values of freedom,” he said.
A video verified by Reuters showed a group of men running near Amsterdam central station, chasing and attacking other men, as police sirens wailed.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he was “horrified by the anti-Semitic attacks against Israeli citizens,” which he called “completely unacceptable.”
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Schoof said he assured Netanyahu over the phone that “the criminals will be identified and prosecuted.”
Police said there were incidents before the game, for which around 3,000 Maccabi fans traveled to Amsterdam, and that 62 suspects were detained after the match when pro-Palestinian protesters tried to reach the Johan Cruyff Arena despite the city having Protest at the site is prohibited.
According to police, fans had left the stadium without incident after the Europa League match, which Ajax won 5-0, but clashes broke out overnight in the city center.
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