– We watch with horror the shocking images and videos that since October 7th we had hoped never to see again: an anti-Semitic pogrom currently taking place against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Herzog wrote on X.
The authorities in Amsterdam have stated that the rioters “actively sought out Israeli supporters to attack and assault them” after the soccer match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz writes that ten people were injured in the clashes, and refers to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch authorities. 57 people are said to have been arrested.
The newspaper also writes that three Israelis have not been accounted for.
According to the broadcaster NOS, around 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to get past the police barriers around the Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday evening. Extra security measures had been introduced in parts of Amsterdam in connection with the match, where the home team Ajax won 5–0.
Originally, a demonstration against Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip was planned to be held right outside the stadium, but the city’s mayor announced that it had to be held in a nearby square instead.
In the hours before the match, there were also clashes between Israeli supporters and the police. Hundreds of Maccabi supporters had gathered in Dam Square in the center of the city and set off illegal fireworks.
Palestinian health authorities stated on Thursday that at least 43,469 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7 last year. 78 have been killed in the last two days.
102,561 people have been injured, according to the health authorities. The figures are considered reliable by the UN and other actors.
(© NTB)