Dutch watchdog rules police lost control during Ajax-Maccabi violence in November

Dutch police failed to maintain order during a wave of flash violence surrounding a November soccer match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, leaving officers overwhelmed and ill-prepared for fast-moving, coordinated street attacks, according to a new report by the Inspectorate of Justice and Security.

The report, published Monday, concludes that police “completely lost control of the situation” when violence erupted and “public order was no longer maintained.” Officers were reportedly taken aback by the speed and coordination of the confrontations, which appeared to be organized online and carried out using encrypted messaging services.

In multiple incidents, authorities allegedly lost track of where the unrest was unfolding. Demonstrators moved rapidly between locations, targeting Jewish symbols and venues near the stadium, including the Orthodox synagogue and the kosher restaurant HaCarmel. In one instance, officers abandoned efforts to contain the chaos and focused on “preserving their own safety,” the report said.

Investigators faulted Amsterdam police for relying too heavily on traditional intelligence-gathering methods in an era of digital mobilization, where riots and hate crimes are often planned via private messaging channels.

Confusion over responsibilities within the national security structure allegedly compounded the dysfunction. The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) had reportedly scaled back its operational role in monitoring threats to public order, shifting responsibility to local law enforcement. That change reportedly led to delays and miscommunication, the Inspectorate found. Local police, city officials, and intelligence services reportedly struggled to coordinate a rapid response to the escalating unrest.

Around the time of the match, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and people perceived to be Jewish were threatened, intimidated, and in some cases assaulted at multiple locations across Amsterdam. Despite these incidents, city authorities shared no formal public updates between 1:40 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. the following morning, according to a separate report by the COT Institute for Safety and Crisis Management.

That report—commissioned by the city and titled Onder Druk ("Under Pressure")—concluded that although officials had carefully weighed the risks of releasing uncertain information, more active communication would have aligned better with best practices in crisis management. The authors argued that sharing even limited updates could have helped calm public fears and counter political misinformation, which quickly spread in the absence of verified information.

“The lack of external communication fed the perception of chaos,” the report stated. Misinformation even reached Israeli media, where it was falsely reported that evacuation flights were being organized for Maccabi fans. The authors noted that much of the outrage in Dutch and foreign political circles at the time stemmed from "indirect sources and incomplete facts."

In a letter to the city council, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the city’s safety triangle—comprising the mayor, police chief, and chief prosecutor—recognized the report's conclusions and accepted its nine recommendations. She emphasized that while it is essential to learn from the events, expectations must remain realistic.

“The illusion that risks can be fully eliminated is dangerous,” Halsema wrote. “No authority can guarantee that disorder or crime will be completely prevented.”

The mayor noted that the match had already been designated a high-risk event, even though it did not meet the typical criteria for such classification in football terms. Authorities had reportedly prepared for possible unrest, but the “moment, intensity, and tactics” of the violence were not foreseen.

Police union NPB welcomed the Inspectorate’s findings, with spokesperson Nine Kooiman calling the officers' response “professional” despite the unpredictable circumstances. However, she warned that budget cuts threaten further improvements. “We’re glad officers are receiving training to counter these kinds of attacks,” she said. “But we also see that with continued police budget cuts, the necessary investments are falling behind.”

Naomi Mestrum, director of the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), said the events highlight a broader failure to monitor extremist activity online. “The role of social media was decisive,” she said. “Calls for violence spread rapidly and amplified existing tensions. This must be monitored better.”

She added that authorities need to be more alert to antisemitic signals in private chat groups and social channels. “There’s a dangerous gap when the police are not getting the intelligence that leads to such a ‘hunt for Jews,’” Mestrum added.

Meanwhile, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed Sunday it had dropped two separate criminal investigations into alleged assaults by Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters against pro-Palestinian individuals. The cases—connected to incidents on the Amsterdam metro system—were dropped after security footage that could have served as key evidence was erased.

According to Dutch broadcaster NOS, the footage was lost due to a combination of short retention periods and equipment replacements by the city’s transit operator, GVB. “Unfortunately, this necessary replacement, combined with a limited retention period, resulted in the footage no longer being available,” a GVB spokesperson said. While the standard retention time is one week, some recordings are saved for even less time, the company added.

The OM said officers tried to retrieve the footage after two women reported being attacked and threatened. One woman said she was assaulted at Centraal Station after yelling “Free Palestine” at a group of Israeli supporters. Another reported that she and another woman wearing headscarves were threatened days earlier by Maccabi fans who shouted, “We will kill all of you.”

Even if the videos had been preserved, prosecutors said they likely could not have proven the threats in court, as metro surveillance cameras do not record audio.

According to NOS, the women's lawyer had urged prosecutors to act quickly, but the surveillance system had already been replaced two days before the formal complaints were filed.

One incident that may still result in prosecution involves a vandalism case on Rokin, where dashcam footage showed a suspect striking a taxi windshield with what may have been a chain lock or belt. Prosecutors said the object remains under investigation, but Israeli authorities have identified the suspect, and Dutch officials are awaiting further details.

A separate vandalism complaint involving another taxi was dismissed due to poor video quality, which made identifying the suspect impossible.