Amsterdam mayor: Rioters sought out, attacked Israeli fans

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered two planes be sent to the Netherlands to bring home football fans following violent clashes in Amsterdam.

Dutch police said that five people required hospital treatment and that 62 arrests had been made.

Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. said in a statement on X that the team was in direct contact with Israel's Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Culture and Sports "to help coordinate the return of the fans who are in Amsterdam."

The club warned its supporters to stay inside their hotel rooms and cautioned supporters to avoid displaying Israeli or Jewish symbols.

How did Israel react?

Netanyahu's office said in a statement on X that "two rescue planes” were being sent "to immediately assist our citizens."

"The harsh pictures of the assault on our citizens in Amsterdam will not be overlooked," the prime minister's office went on to say.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity and demands that the Dutch government and security forces take vigorous and swift action against the rioters, and ensure the safety of our citizens," the statement read. 

Israel’s new foreign minister, Gideon Saar, is traveling to the Netherlands where he will be meeting with his Dutch counterpart along with other high-ranking officials.

The first plane bringing home Israeli soccer fans from Amsterdam landed at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport on Friday afternoon, the Israel Airports Authority said. Earlier, Israel's El Al airline said it was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli media reported that there had been plans to send a military rescue mission to Amsterdam but the government later walked back those plans.

Widespread condemnation

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof has condemned the incident, saying on X that he "followed the news from Amsterdam with horror. Completely unacceptable antisemitic attacks on Israelis."

The Dutch leader said that he was in close communication with Netanyahu and that he had stressed that those responsible would be "tracked down and prosecuted." 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was among those condemning the attacks.

"Outraged by last night’s vile attacks targeting Israeli citizens in Amsterdam," von der Leyen said. "I strongly condemn these unacceptable acts. Antisemitism has absolutely no place in Europe."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also spoke out against the violent scenes.

"The images from Amsterdam are horrific and deeply shameful for us in Europe. The outbreak of such violence against Jews crosses all boundaries. There is no justification for this. Jews must be safe in Europe," Baerbock said on X.

What happened in Amsterdam?

Some 3,000 Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attended their club's Europa League away game at Ajax Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the attacks were by "antisemitic hit-and-run squads." 

"This is a very dark moment for the city, for which I am deeply ashamed," Halsema told reporters on Friday.

"Antisemitic criminals attacked and assaulted visitors to our city, in hit-and-run actions," she said, adding perpetrators had managed to escape a large police presence.

Raz Amir, a journalist reporting on Maccabi Tel Aviv, tweeted that according to the testimonies he had heard from the supporters in attendance, the attack was coordinated ahead of time.

According to Amir, the attackers "had precise information of where to wait [for the Maccabi supporters], and once they identified Israelis, they jumped on them with knives and bats."

Videos depicting the attacks after the game showed an Israeli being beaten and cornered by a group of black-clad young men.

Earlier on Thursday, clashes broke out between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Dutch police. 

Police said later that several hundred Maccabi fans had gathered on the central Dam Square, where the atmosphere was reported to have been tense but then calmer. 

A pro-Palestinian rally demonstrating against the Israeli football club's visit had initially been scheduled to take place near the stadium, but was moved by city authorities for security reasons.

Clashes had taken place as part of the group of demonstrators tried to make their way to the stadium but were stopped by riot police, who were pelted with "heavy fireworks."

Tensions ahead of the game

Police had reported "tensions" in several parts of the city in the run-up to the match, which Ajax won 5-0.

A report by Dutch newspaper Telegraaf reported Mossad agents would accompany Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Netherlands due to the heightened risk.

The night before the game, videos started doing the rounds on social media allegedly depicting Maccabi Tel Aviv fans removing Palestinian flags from windows in the Dutch capital. In one of the videos, a group was singing an insulting chant about Gaza and Palestinians.

Police spokesman Peter Holla said the clashes had begun on Wednesday, 24 hours before the match, noting "incidents on both sides." "Maccabi supporters removed a flag from a facade... and they destroyed a taxi. A Palestinian flag was set on fire on Dam Square," he added.

That same evening, and without any connection known to exist between the two developments, videos documenting attacks against Israelis on the streets of Amsterdam started circulating, with swear words in Arabic and English being heard in the background.

Tensions were expected to be high also due to the fact that Turkish side Fenerbahce played away at AZ Alkmaar, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Amsterdam, with Turkish supporters known to support the Palestinian cause. 

UEFA condemns violence

European football’s governing body, UEFA, spoke out against Thursday’s violence and denounced the scenes "in the strongest terms."

"We trust that the relevant authorities will identify and charge as many of those responsible for these actions as possible," the UEFA statement continued.

"UEFA will examine all official reports, collect available evidence, evaluate it and consider further appropriate action in accordance with its regulations."

Felix Tamsut contributed to this report.

kb/sms (AFP, Reuters, AP, DPA)