Palestinians blame Amsterdam attacks on Maccabi fans despite Telegram calls for violence
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates placed the blame for a violent night in Amsterdam on Israeli football supporters, Palestinian state news outlet Wafa reported on Friday. Late on Wednesday and early on Thursday, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in the capital for a match against Ajax were accused of pulling a Palestinian flag off a building and arguing with taxi drivers in the city center. Telegram and Snapchat groups were then used to rally people together to attack Maccabi supporters en masse as they made their way from the Johan Cruijff Arena towards other parts of Amsterdam and the surrounding area, which city officials believe to be rooted in anti-Semitism.
Palestinian officials said removing Palestinian flags, the possible desecration of those flags, and claims of anti-Arab chants a day earlier was the reason for the violence after the match. Wafa also tried to tie the rioting to Israeli fans refusing to take part in a moment of silence before the Europa League match. This moment was meant to honor those who died during flooding in Valencia, Spain, and was not related to the year-long war between Hamas and Israel.
The following day, the call went out on social media for people to gather between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Amsterdam's Central Station, where they could then take the Metro to the football stadium. One message referred to the 300 Maccabi fans as Israeli Zionists. They considered it a way to show they "are not afraid" by arriving as "warriors" supported in large groups.
The messages were seen by tens of thousands of people, noted RTL Nieuws. Prior to the match, images were shared of people attacking someone in Amsterdam with the text, "Just chased away six Zionists between the two of us, free Palestine." The message continued, "People are ready today!" alongside a fist clad in a special motorcycle glove with hardened plastic over the knuckles.
There were further appeals shortly after the Ajax-Maccabi match showing people gathered to fight in Dam Square and Central Station. Anyone perceived to be a Maccabi fan became a target of attackers, with some victims forced to show their passports, while others were beaten. "This is not Gaza. This is Amsterdam! We fucked you and your family today."
Five people were hospitalized, and up to 30 others suffered minor injuries. A total of 62 people were arrested, including eight adults and two minors who were still in custody on Friday afternoon. The rioting led to a call between Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Schoof's attendance at European Union meetings in Budapest.
While Amsterdam authorities held a press conference about the violence on Friday afternoon, the Palestinian government called on the Netherlands "to safeguard Palestinians and Arabs" in the country "from colonists and Israeli soldiers who traveled to the country to spread their racist ideology." The report did not make clear why the ministry specifically mentioned "soldiers," although nearly all Israeli adults are required to serve in the military for nearly three years.
The ministry also said it rejects violence on the whole. However, it stopped short of explicitly condemning those who carried out hours of violent assaults against Israelis and Jewish people in Amsterdam following the football match.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema denounced the behavior of Maccabi hooligans accused of yanking a Palestinian flag off a Rokin building, or damaging a taxi. She acknowledged it could have influenced "the overall atmosphere in the city.” But that was "no excuse" for the violence that followed, which cast the city in a dark light. "The war in the Middle East is now also threatening our city," she told reporters at City Hall.
“All of the incidents which took place Thursday night are separate from each other, but they also influenced each other," Amsterdam-Amstelland Police Chief Peter Holla said Friday. The investigation into the violence is ongoing, and those with camera footage were encouraged to share this material with the police.
"I am furious," Halsema stated, also on behalf of the coalition of governing aldermen, the district police chief, and the district head prosecutor. "There is fear, dismay, anger, disbelief." She continued to say that "what happened last night is not a protest. It has nothing to do with a protest or demonstration. It is a crime. There is no excuse for what happened last night."
