Israeli and Dutch leaders condemned “anti-Semitic” clashes that broke out after a Europa League soccer match in Amsterdam overnight, and Israel sent rescue planes to bring home its citizens following the “very violent incident.”
Israel’s embassy in the United States said that “hundreds” of Maccabi fans were “ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam this evening as they left the stadium after a match,” blaming the incident on a “mob that attacked innocent Israelis.”
Shocking video shows Israeli fans being violently beaten in the streets last night, with reports of the attackers shouting “Free Palestine” during the attacks.
Ten Israelis were hospitalized and three were reported to be out of contact with their families after hours of violence, which saw people in the Dutch capital forced to seek shelter in tents.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that two planes would be sent to bring Israelis home safely and urged people to stay in their hotels until help arrived.
The situation calmed down this morning, Dutch authorities said, adding that dozens of arrests had been made.
Protesters run during a pro-Palestinian demonstration during the Ajax – Maccabi Tel-Aviv match in Amsterdam.
A protester with a Palestinian flag and a Mobile Unit (ME) during a pro-Palestinian demonstration during the Ajax – Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Anton de Komplein
Police form a security cordon around a bus after the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
An El Al plane lands on the tarmac at Schiphol airport, near Amsterdam, as the Israeli government prepares to evacuate citizens following attacks on soccer fans.
The violence peaked after the match between Maccabi Tel-Aviv and the Dutch team Ajax, in which the hosts won 5-0.
A video shared on social media shows Israeli fans lowering a Palestinian flag in central Amsterdam as tensions rose before and after the match.
The hooded figures can be heard singing “Fuck you Palestine” and anti-Arab slogans can also be heard in the images.
Later that night, a video circulated of masked attackers, some of whom reportedly spoke Arabic, chasing Israeli fans in the city.
A video shows a man being dragged by his coat, and the person recording the video insults him and shouts statements about Palestine and Gaza.
Graphic footage shows a man being attacked by a masked gang who throw him to the ground and begin beating him, as the man appears to say “I’m not Jewish” as he begs them to stop.
Another video shows a man covering his head as he is beaten by an attacker who shouts: “This is for the children… Free Palestine now!”
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof denounced the “completely unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks against Israelis.”
“I followed the coverage from Amsterdam with horror,” Schoof wrote in X, adding that he had spoken to Netanyahu to assure him that “the perpetrators will be found and prosecuted.”
Netanyahu’s office said he told Schoof that he “views the premeditated anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens with the utmost seriousness and requested greater security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands,” his office said.
Britain’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said in X: ‘Absolutely devastating scenes in the Netherlands. Hateful mobs have chased Jewish and Israeli football fans through the streets of Amsterdam after a match, violently beating them and proudly posting the images on social media.
‘There are many injured and three people are missing. This should be a defining moment for Europe, and for the world, when it realizes how severe the scourge of anti-Jewish hatred has become.
“Sadly, I fear that will not be the case and, tragically, this will not be the last such attack, God forbid.”
Dutch outlet AT5 said the clashes occurred around midnight. Numerous fights, as well as acts of vandalism, occurred in the city center.
“A large number of mobile unit vehicles are present and reinforcements have also been requested,” he added.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans stage a pro-Israel demonstration at Dam Square, lighting flares and chanting slogans before the UEFA Europa League match.
Police arrested man in De Dam for possession of fireworks
A Dutch police spokesman said 57 people had been arrested.
Israeli authorities urged their citizens in Amsterdam to stay in their hotels and avoid displaying Israeli or Jewish symbols if they go out.
The military said it was coordinating a “rescue mission” with cargo planes and medical and rescue teams.
Israel’s new Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement that he had requested the Dutch government’s help in ensuring the safe departure of Israeli citizens from their hotels to the airport.
Footage from AT5 showed Dutch police escorting fans back to their hotels.
On Thursday, Amsterdam police said on social media that they were being particularly vigilant following several incidents, including the tearing down of a Palestinian flag from a building.
A pro-Palestinian demonstration against the visit of the Israeli football club was initially planned near the stadium, but the Amsterdam city council relocated it for security reasons.