Five people have been hospitalised following riots in central Amsterdam after Thursday’s Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv football match, local police reported Friday.
Police are also investigating unconfirmed reports of a possible hostage situation and missing persons following attacks on supporters of the Israeli team.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema reported that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were “attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks”, requiring multiple riot police interventions to protect them and escort them to safety. Police detained 57 suspects as pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to approach the Johan Cruyff Arena, where Ajax had won the match 5-0.
Unverified social media footage showed Maccabi Tel Aviv fans shouting anti-Palestinian chants in the streets of Amsterdam before the game.
Israel has dispatched two planes to evacuate Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from the Netherlands. That was after after Netanyahu cancelled plans to send two military planes.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned the “completely unacceptable” attacks and promised Netanyahu that perpetrators would face prosecution.
The incidents occur amid rising antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Israel has killed at least 43,000 Palestinians, with 102,000 wounded, since the October 7 attack by Hamas. It has also killed around 3,000 in Lebanon and Syria, while around 3 million people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the war.
Experts, governments, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental organisations have accused Israel of carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people.
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