Fans of Polish football team clash with police in Amsterdam before match against Ajax
There was a confrontation between police and around 200 supporters of the Polish football club Jagiollonia Bialystok on Thursday afternoon at the Dam in Amsterdam. The supporters were wearing balaclavas, used pepper spray against the police, and threw chairs. Calmness was restored after riot police got involved, said a police spokesperson.
The supporters gathered at the Dam, wearing the club's red and yellow colors, to go to the Johan Cruijff ArenA together. They were accompanied by a special police team. A fight occurred within the group, which led to the supporters turning against the police.
It is still unknown whether anybody was injured during the confrontation. No arrests were made. "We definitively will not tolerate this," said a police spokesperson. "If we get ahold of the people who did this, we will not hesitate to arrest them."
The large group was last seen heading towards the Damstraat, where the trains will head to the stadium. Ajax will face the club at 8 p.m. in the playoffs of the UEFA Europa League.
The deputy mayor of Amsterdam has designated the Johan Cruijff ArenA and its surroundings as a security risk area with immediate effect due to the unrest. The municipality reported that anyone present there can be preventively frisked up to midnight.
Reporting by ANP