More crimes targeting Jews reported in Amsterdam; City Council confirms Tuesday debate

At noon on Tuesday, the Amsterdam city council will hold an emergency debate on the attacks on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters on Thursday evening and other anti-Semitic incidents in the city since. Early Sunday morning, for example, someone allegedly tried to rob a man on Haarlemmerweg after threateningly asking if he was Israeli and demanding to see his passport, Parool reported.

A police spokesperson told the newspaper that the robbery attempt failed and the victim was unharmed. In court on Sunday, during proceedings against the city’s temporary ban on demonstrations, the police said there were several anti-Semitic incidents in the city over the weekend. “It would involve people who were or apparently looked Jewish,” police commissioner Olivier Dutilh said. Most incidents involved threats or insults.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said she expected to have all the facts about the attacks on Thursday and subsequent incidents ready by Monday evening or Tuesday morning at the latest - definitely in time for the city council meeting. She said that she had no intention of resigning. “I serve the citizens of Amsterdam and protect them,” she said.

During a press conference on Friday, Halsema said that “boys on scooters” crossed the city on Thursday evening targeting Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, who were in Amsterdam for a match against Ajax. There were multiple violent incidents. Five people sustained severe enough injuries to require hospital treatment, and 20 to 30 others sustained minor injuries. The police arrested 62 people.

Since then, footage emerged showing Israeli football supporters instigating violence against locals after the match on Thursday. The police said they would include the footage in their investigation.

Four people were still in custody on Monday. They will be arraigned later in the afternoon.