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Dozens of anti-Israel protesters arrested in Amsterdam after unrest over a football match

Posted on by Pranco
Dozens of anti-Israel protesters arrested in Amsterdam after unrest over a football match

Dozens of anti-Israel protesters in central Amsterdam were arrested on Wednesday for ignoring a ban on demonstrations imposed after dozens of Israeli football fans were attacked last week by a crowd shouting anti-Semitic slurs.

Protesters stormed Dam Square with Palestinian flags, chanting: ‘Liberate Palestine’ and ‘Amsterdam says no to genocide’, before police in riot gear arrested the crowd of demonstrators. Reuters reported this.

The civil unrest comes after dozens of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were ambushed and attacked in a targeted attack by groups of criminals after a Europa League match against Dutch team AFC Ajax late Thursday.

Dutch police arrested dozens of anti-Israel demonstrators on Wednesday. AFP via Getty Images

The horrific ordeal left five Israelis hospitalized as the anti-Israel mob chased Maccabi fans through the streets.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labeled the riot a “planned anti-Semitic attack.”

Officials said friction had increased in the run-up to the football match, with anti-Semites leading the attack Call for an organized “Jew hunt” in the city.

Protesters stormed Dam Square with Palestinian flags, chanting: ‘Liberate Palestine’ and ‘Amsterdam says no to genocide’, before police in riot gear arrested the crowd of demonstrators. AFP via Getty Images
The civil unrest comes after scores of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were ambushed and attacked by groups of thugs late Thursday after a Europa League match against Dutch team AFC Ajax. AFP via Getty Images

Dutch authorities have verified that the campaign aimed at football fans organized in the capital, with attackers well equipped with fireworks and other weapons to carry out hit-and-run attacks.

Before the match, video showed large crowds of Israeli supporters praising the war in Gaza and shouting, “Let the IDF win.” F-the Arabs!’, and ‘F-you Palestine’, as police pushed several anti-Israel protesters away from a Maccabi fan who gathered in a square earlier in the day.

The horrific ordeal left five Israelis hospitalized as the anti-Israel mob chased Maccabi fans through the streets. AFP via Getty Images

Police also reported incidents of Maccabi fans burning Palestinian flags in the city and vandalizing a taxi.

Israel sent planes to the Netherlands after the attack to bring at least some of its citizens home and urged those staying to stay in their hotels and not wear visible signs of Jewish or Israeli identity on the streets until they could return safely.

More than 60 people were arrested before and during the football match, officials said, while four suspects remained in custody. AFP via Getty Images
Dutch authorities have verified that the campaign targeting football fans in the capital was organized, with the attackers well-equipped with fireworks and other weapons to carry out hit-and-run attacks. AFP via Getty Images

More than 60 people were arrested before and during the football match, officials said: while four suspects remain in custody.

The Dutch police have since arrested or removed hundreds of demonstrators cause great damage and commit an offence emergency protest ban enforced by local authorities due to the violence, Reuters reported.

Dutch police have since detained or removed hundreds more protesters who continue to cause widespread damage and violate an emergency protest ban imposed by local authorities due to the violence. AFP via Getty Images

The ban will remain in effect until Thursday.

Anti-Semitism, vandalism and violence have skyrocketed worldwide since Hamas terrorists carried out a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking a wider and ongoing conflict in Gaza.