Israeli fans were attacked after a soccer match in Amsterdam by mobs of young people who Dutch authorities say were incited on social media to attack Jews, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
Five people were taken to hospitals and dozens arrested after the attacks, which were condemned as anti-Semitic. Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, Europe has seen an increase in anti-Semitic rhetoric and acts of vandalism and violence against Jews. Tensions escalated in Amsterdam ahead of last night's Europa League football match between "Ajax" and "Maccabi" (Tel Aviv)
Local authorities banned pro-Palestinian demonstrators from gathering outside the stadium, and footage was posted on social media showing a large group of Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans as they made their way to the sporting event. After that, young people go around the city – some on foot and others on scooters to seek out and attack Israeli fans. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the attackers punched and kicked, then fled quickly to avoid being caught by police. In her words on the social network "Telegram" "there are still people who say they go hunting for Jews". "It's so shocking and disgusting that I still can't get my head around it,'' she added.
Dutch Minister of Justice and Security David van Wel promised that the perpetrators will be found and punished. A spokeswoman for the Amsterdam police said the investigation was still in its early stages and it was not yet clear whether there were attacks on people other than football fans. Five fans were taken to hospitals for treatment but did not require hospitalization. Between 20 and 30 people suffered minor injuries, the police said.
At least 62 suspects have been arrested, with 10 of them still in custody, Amsterdam city prosecutor Rene de Boeckelaar said at a press conference on Friday. The city's mayor described the violence as "an outbreak of anti-Semitism that we hope never to see again in Amsterdam". Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar arrived urgently in Amsterdam today. He wrote on the X social network that hatred of Jews is "appearing in more and more places".
"Ajax" is known as a football club associated with the Jewish community in Amsterdam and the fans of "Ajax" sometimes they wave flags with the Star of David. At one time, the road to the team's former stadium passed through the Jewish quarter. Police said security would be increased at Jewish institutions in the city, which has a large Jewish community and was home to Jewish World War II diarist Anne Frank and her family, who were hiding from Nazi occupiers. A number of world leaders condemned the events in Amsterdam. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was shocked by the violence in Amsterdam, a spokesman for the world body said. US President Biden condemned the attacks and described them as "horrific and reminiscent of dark times in history when Jews were persecuted," Reuters reported.