Eight arrested in Amsterdam after Ajax protest devolves into riots

The police arrested eight people in Amsterdam after a protest by Ajax supporters devolved into riots and an attack on a local police station. They are accused of “several disturbances of public order,” the police said.

According to the police, “hundreds of people” gathered on the Leidseplein at around 2:30 p.m. for an announced demonstration against police strikes for a decent early retirement scheme. The strikes have resulted in the cancellation of the past two Ajax matches—once against Feyenoord and once against FC Utrecht.

The protesters marched to the main police station in the city, where they damaged police vehicles and the station itself, the police said. They also set off explosives and attacked trams. The riot police intervened, performing several charges after supporters ignored orders to leave.

The group then dispersed via Elandsgracht, where “a group of people who call themselves supporters of a football club” confronted “bystanders with a frightening situation,” the police said. “With this behavior, they disrupted public order and safety to such an extent that unsuspecting residents and tourists felt unsafe on the streets on their Sunday afternoon.”

The municipality of Amsterdam also criticized the Ajax fans. “It is incredibly sad that these so-called Ajax supporters have misbehaved in our city like this,” Deputy Mayor Marjolein Moorman told ANP. “This group of so-called supporters is not doing football and Ajax any favors.”

She was particularly critical of the attack on “trams with unsuspecting passengers” and the vandalism of a police station. “Everyone wants the fun of football to come first, but this behavior shows that it is unfortunately impossible without the police. While we need the police so badly for other things,” she said.

Ajax also said the football club does not support the supporters’ actions. The club “naturally condemns the destruction and the committing of other criminal acts,” a spokesperson told NU.nl.