Israeli soccer fans attacked in incident linked to antisemitism in Amsterdam

Israel's government Friday said it sent two rescue planes to Amsterdam to evacuate its citizens who were injured in an outbreak of violence linked to a Europa League soccer game.

Israeli and Dutch officials described the incident as antisemitic attacks.

At least five people were taken to the hospital and 62 individuals were arrested, police said in a statement. The precise circumstances that sparked the violence were not immediately clear but unverified video circulating on social media showed crowds running through the streets of central Amsterdam and a man being beaten.

Supporters of Israeli soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv had traveled to the city for a game against local team Ajax, who won the match 5-0. Authorities said that pro-Palestinian demonstrators had tried to reach the Johan Cruyff Stadium, where the game was played, even though the city had forbidden them to protest there. Police said Israeli fans had left the stadium after the game without incident but that various clashes in the city center were reported.

Amsterdam Police confirmed Friday that people reported missing after the violence were all accounted for and those wounded all left the hospital.

Police said on X they launched a "large-scale investigation" into the riots surrounding the match, and asked the public to share reports, statements and videos of the incidents.

"My shock lies mainly in the fact that one of the largest deployments that we as Amsterdam police – with national assistance – have made in a year, could not prevent this violence," Amsterdam Police Chief Peter Holla said.

Clashes lead to 'hit-and-run' attacks

Holla said the clashes began on Wednesday night, when Maccabi supporters vandalized a taxi and a Palestinian flag was set on fire in Dam Square. After a call went out online for taxi drivers to mobilize, a group of drivers converged on the Holland Casino, where around 400 Israeli supporters were gathered.

Some riots broke out, but police were able to quell the violence, Holla said.

But violence broke out the next day in Dam Square before the soccer match, according to Holla. As groups of Maccabi supporters walked through the city center after the game, "committed hit and run actions, targeting Israeli supporters," resulting in "a number of serious assaults," he said.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema described the attackers as "antisemitic hit-and-run squads."

"This is a very dark moment for the city, for which I am deeply ashamed," Halsema said on Friday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement he "views with utmost gravity" what he called "planned antisemitic" attacks against Israeli citizens. He requested security be increased for the Dutch Jewish community and directed Israel's military to send planes to bring back to Israel those wounded in the incident.

Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged any Israeli citizens in the Dutch city to stay in their hotel rooms following the attacks. "Fans who went to see a football game encountered anti-Semitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness," he said in a post on X.

There were reports some of the Israeli fans chanted anti-Arab slogans and behaved provocatively. In Israel, some of Maccabi Tel Aviv's fans have developed a reputation for violence and racism. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans reportedly beat a man carrying a Palestinian flag in Athens ahead of their team's match against Greek team Olympiacos in March.

Tensions have been running high in the Middle East and abroad since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage.

At least 43,469 Palestinians have been killed and 102,561 others injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza in response to the Hamas attack, according to Hamas health officials in the enclave. The war has sparked protests in support of both sides across Europe and the United States and both Arabs and Jews have been attacked.

Reports of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. have reached a record high since last year's Hamas attack in Israel, according to the Anti-Defamation League Center for Extremism.

One year later: Anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate incidents spike since Oct. 7 attacks

Prime Minister Dick Schoof of the Netherlands said in a statement there had been antisemitic attacks on Israelis in Amsterdam. Anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders, the leader of the largest party in the Dutch government, condemned the attacks. "Ashamed that this can happen in The Netherlands. Totally unacceptable," he wrote on X.

Ofek Ziv, a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan caught up in the attack, said masked men threw a rock at his head from a distance, narrowly missing. He said he was chased before getting into a taxi and fleeing the area.

"The world must know that Jewish people can't walk free outside Israel," Ziv, 27, said in a WhatsApp message.

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Contributing: Reuters

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israeli soccer fans targeted in attacks in Amsterdam: Officials