Attacks in Amsterdam on the visiting fans of an Israeli football club have spiralled into a diplomatic incident.
Five people were taken to hospital and 62 detained in the Dutch capital on Thursday night after what authorities called anti-Semitic “hit and run” violence against supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv who were in the city for a match against Dutch side Ajax.
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu seized upon the attacks as evidence of surging anti-Semitism in Europe, while his ally, the anti-Muslim far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders, demanded the deportation of the “multicultural scum” he blamed for the violence.
US-based hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a vociferous supporter of Israel, announced plans to delist his Pershing Square vehicle from the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, “leaving a jurisdiction that fails to protect its tourists and minority populations”.
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Videos on social media appeared to show Arabic-speaking men chasing and assaulting at least two men, demanding that one say “Free Palestine”.
Police also said Israeli fans vandalised a taxi and that a Palestinian flag was burnt, while other videos showed Maccabi Tel Aviv fans chanting anti-Arab slogans as they entered a metro station.
A woman carrying a Palestinian flag at a small protest outside City Hall on Friday, said: “The eyes are always on the violence of one side but not the other side.”
Ten people remained in custody on Friday, while the injured were released from hospital; the Dutch authorities did not provide details on their nationality or ethnicity.
Mr Netanyahu on Friday condemned what he called “horrifying” violence, saying he had spoken early in the day to Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof, and dispatched his newly appointed foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, to the Netherlands.
Mr Schoof said he was “horrified by the anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli citizens”, which he called “completely unacceptable”.
The Israeli military said it had cancelled plans for rescue flights carrying medical and rescue teams to the Dutch capital; the fans were instead due to leave on commercial flights after travelling to the airport under police escort.
Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema said in a press conference on Friday that it had been a “dark night ... I understand why people are reminded of the pogroms”.
She noted that the violence had taken place on the anniversary of the 1938 Kristallnacht.
The incident came amid heightened tensions in European cities over the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as Israel’s offensive in Lebanon and exchanges of fire with Iran. The French government said a France-Israel football match would continue as planned, while a Europa League Tel Aviv Maccabi match against Turkey’s Besiktas football team is to be played at a neutral venue. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024