Five people were injured is à Amsterdam, on the night of November 7-8, after violence targeting Israeli supporters. A first plane carrying Israeli nationals was evacuated ;s landed in Tel Aviv.
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On X, Amsterdam police said on Friday (November 8) that they had opened “a broad investigation into the disturbances surrounding the Ajax-Maccabi match.” They also shared a link so that people with information can call in or share videos.
Footage circulating on social media shows dozens of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans chanting in Hebrew, “Finish the Arabs! We will win!” Other videos show people throwing Israeli fans to the ground and beating them. “We are reviewing the footage, it is part of the investigation,” said an Amsterdam police spokesman.
The UN secretary-general is “shocked” by the violence that took place in Amsterdam on Thursday. He “condemns all forms of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia,” Friday Stephanie Tremblay, a spokesperson for the organization.
Israeli authorities have urged basketball fans to “avoid a Maccabi Tel Aviv game against Bologna scheduled for Friday in Italy,” and to “avoid displaying visible Israeli or Jewish symbols as much as possible,” the Israeli government said. AFP Omer Dostri, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's office.
Prime Minister Michel Barnier also reacted to the events in Amsterdam. “No manifestation of anti-Semitism can be tolerated,” he assured this Friday in a post published on X. “Too many events in recent hours, in France as in the Netherlands, serve as a reminder that this abjection must be fought relentlessly, in all its forms”, he added.
Joe Biden has called the “anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans” in Amsterdam “abhorrent,” an event that “recalls dark times in history when Jews were persecuted.” “We must fight relentlessly against anti-Semitism wherever it “emerges,” Biden said. on X the American president on the departure.
“It really felt like war. We had a great night at the stadium, despite the defeat. But what happened afterwards, I can't even describe. It really felt like hatred,” a Maccabi fan told the daily De Telegraaf. “I've never been so scared. My father was kicked hard in the leg and hip. He has trouble walking. We didn't sleep last night,” said another attacked fan.
A Maccabi fan has described his night out in Amsterdam to AD media. Before the match kicked off, he was “partying with Ajax fans”. He claims to have seen groups of 10 to 15 people, mostly young people, dressed in black hoodies, moving quickly on scooters to fight. They seemed very organised and knew exactly where to gather,” he said. Once they were safe in a hotel, the tension did not ease as the hours went by. “We heard loud explosions. We saw people banging on the hotel door, which was fortunately locked.”
The first plane to repatriate Israeli citizens from Amsterdam arrived in Tel Aviv this afternoon. In addition to the regular flights, four special evacuation flights are scheduled for Friday and two more on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the airline told AFP. “Adding this morning's flights, this means that around 1,850 Israelis will return from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv,” she said.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000In a message posted on X, formerly Twitter, the MP affiliated with La France Insoumise, Aymeric Caron, wrote: “I condemn all forms of violence, wherever it comes from. […] At this stage, nothing corroborates the theory that the attacks on Israeli supporters in Amsterdam are anti-Semitic attacks.” The MP added that Israeli supporters were “violent, provocative, tearing down Palestinian flags, disrespectful to Spanish flood victims, and chanting racist and pro-genocide songs in the streets in Gaza”.
“It had nothing to do with football,” said Ben Mansford, head of Maccabi Tel Aviv, whose fans were attacked after a football match in Amsterdam. “To see them running towards rivers, being hit defenselessly on the ground (…) is really a very sad time for all of us, given what we have been through this past year,” he said. according to comments taken up by Le Parisien.
“I have instructed the head of Mossad and other officials to prepare our action plans, our warning system and our organization in the face of this new situation,” Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, November 8, the day after the attack on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam. He asked to the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, to prepare an action plan to prevent violence during sporting events, reports Le Parisien.
An Israeli fan spoke on RTL about his attack in Amsterdam on Thursday, November 7. He had gone to the Netherlands to watch the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He said he was attacked by a group of 50 people and insulted. “They shouted at us: 'rats, stupid Jews, go home'. I didn't really understand,” he said. The man, who was followed by one of the groups, was then physically assaulted. “They hit me several times while I was on the ground. Seven people against one,” he says.
A meeting was held at the Foreign Ministry on Friday, November 8, the day after the attack on Israeli supporters in Amsterdam. On X, formerly Twitter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: “We will not accept harm to Jews – or to Amsterdam, neither in Europe nor anywhere else.
~6 0~h3 class=”app_edito_title_2″>15:27 – The first Israelis were attacked. evacuated from Amsterdam
A first plane carrying Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam landed Friday, November 8, at Tel Aviv International Airport, Israeli airport authorities said. Three flights are planned to repatriate Israelis from Amsterdam in addition to two regular flights, according to Le Parisien. The Israeli airline EI AI, said that “hundreds of Israeli passengers” will be able to board evacuation planes for free.
READ MORE What to remember
Violent clashes broke out between Israeli fans and Dutch fans on the sidelines of the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam on the night of 7 to 8 November 2024. According to images of the violence, these were anti-Semitic attacks targeting Israeli and Jewish fans. A theory taken up by Israeli leaders who denounce a “pogrom” and a “premeditated anti-Semitic attack” in the respective words of President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to RMC, the violence against Israeli supporters was rapid. Shortly after 11 p.m. and the end of the match, the exit from the stadium took place without incident. The Israeli supporters left the stadium after the other supporters, as required by security protocol for visiting supporters. After midnight, within half an hour, the police reported an intervention by anti-riot forces at several locations in the city.
“A large number of vehicles from the mobile unit are present and reinforcements have also been called in. Youths are also said to have provoked the police,” local media AT5 reported, describing the scene and the response of the police. The Amsterdam police protected and escorted the Israeli fans to their hotels after the clashes according to AT5 footage. According to the same media outlet, 62 arrests were made before and after the match. Most of those arrested are described as pro-Palestinian activists.
The violence comes as the Middle East war, in which Israel is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, continues. Previous encounters between Israeli teams in football competitions have raised a lot of concern. However, Dutch authorities say they have been “particularly vigilant” ahead of the match. The gathering of Israeli fans before the match was protected by a large force and another gathering pro-Palestinian activists opposed to the club's arrival was moved away from the stadium where the match took place for security reasons.
The head of the Israeli government indicated in a statement “that he viewed the premeditated anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens with seriousness and called for increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands,” including taking “strong and swift action against the rioters.” In response to the clashes, Benjamin Netanyahu sent planes to the Netherlands to “bring back” Israeli nationals, including the wounded. The government also said that “Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will soon leave for an urgent diplomatic visit to the Netherlands.”
The Israeli military also responded to the violence in Amsterdam calling the acts “targeted” against Jews and Israelis” “horrible and barbaric”, through the voice of one of its spokespersons, Nadav Shoshani. The Israeli authorities announced the dispatch of planes to repatriate nationals, including the wounded, who wish to leave the city.
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