First five suspects of violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters standing trial today

The court in Amsterdam will hear the criminal cases against five suspects of the violence surrounding the Ajax - Maccabi Tel Aviv football match on Wednesday. They are suspected of committing public violence, among other things. Two more suspects will appear in court on Thursday.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) also accuses one of the suspects, a 22-year-old man, of attempted manslaughter. He allegedly kicked someone in the head several times. The man has been in custody since November 19.

The other suspects range in age from 19 to 32. Two of them are also suspected of sharing information about the violence. One suspect is also charged with group insult of Jewish people in a WhatsApp group.

Before and after the match on November 7, there were riots in the vicinity of the stadium and in the city center of Amsterdam. The authorities said that the perpetrators committed hit-and-run attacks on Maccabi fans. The abuses led to much unrest, anger, and indignation, also beyond the national borders. The city council instituted an emergency ordinance, whereby the entire city was considered a security risk area for a time. Demonstrations were banned.

On November 11, riots broke out again, this time on Plein 40-45 in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. Groups of young people caused destruction and set fire to a tram, among other things. Several suspects will have to answer for this in court later.