King Willem-Alexander has said Jewish people must feel safe in the Netherlands, after a night of antisemitic rioting targeted Israeli football fans in the centre of Amsterdam.
Youths on scooters had criss-crossed the Dutch capital searching for supporters in “hit-and-run” attacks against Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters who were visiting Amsterdam for a Europa League match, the city’s mayor said.
Police said five people were treated in hospital and others suffered minor injuries, while 62 arrests had been made.
The king spoke of a lesson from history and said “we cannot turn a blind eye to antisemitic behaviour on our streets”.
“My heart goes out to the victims and to their families here and in Israel as well.” Amsterdam’s Mayor Femke Halsema told a press conference on Friday.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof flew back early from a summit of EU leaders in Budapest where he said he had been following developments with horror.
“The perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted,” he promised.
Coming on the eve of commemorations marking the Nazi pogroms against Germany’s Jews in 1938, the events that unfolded overnight into Friday were condemned by leaders in Germany and France, and led to shock in Israel.
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There had already been trouble and some arrests the night before Thursday’s match, involving Maccabi fans as well as pro-Palestinian protesters.
Police chief Peter Holla confirmed there had been incidents “on both sides”. Israeli supporters had removed a Palestinian flag from a wall and set it alight and attacked taxi, although there had been no further trouble until the following night, he said.
There were also reports of supporters setting off fireworks and one unverified video showed fans going down an escalator chanting anti-Arab slogans.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned “anti-Arab chants” and an “attack on the Palestinian flag” in Amsterdam, calling on the Dutch government to “protect Palestinians and Arabs” living in the Netherlands.
There was widespread shock in the Netherlands that such an outbreak of antisemitism could happen in the Dutch capital, especially on the eve of the Nazi pogroms. Three-quarters of Dutch Jews were murdered in World War Two.
The king said history had shown how intimidation could go from bad to worse, with terrible consequences: “Jews must feel safe in the Netherlands, everywhere and at all times. We put our arms around them and will not let them go.”
The national co-ordinator for combating antisemitism in the Netherlands said a line had been crossed and the “readiness to commit such violence was disgusting”.
Mayor Halsema said Dutch counter-terror co-ordinator NCTV had not flagged any concrete threat about the game itself as there was no animosity between the fans of the two clubs. There was no trouble at the game in which Ajax inflicted a heavy 5-0 defeat on the visiting team.
But the unrest spiralled out of control soon afterwards. Halsema spoke of fans being “attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks” as they walked from the Johan Cruyff Arena to the centre of Amsterdam.
Police initially said it was unclear who had taken part in the riots, although the mayor later spoke of young men on scooters. The mayor was careful not to give details about the ethnic backgrounds of those involved in the attack, emphasising that it was part of the police investigation.
Several videos circulated on social media, with one showing a man being kicked and beaten on the ground and another showing someone being run over. In some videos, people could be heard shouting pro-Palestinian slogans, although the footage was not verified by the BBC.
Two British visitors said they came under attack as they tried to help an Israeli beaten up by people on mopeds. Jacob, 33, told the BBC he saw “10 people stamping and kicking” the man, and that they had seen “lots of little gangs chasing people”.
EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockAsked whether locals had been provoked by a Palestinian flag being torn down in the city, the mayor said what had happened in the centre of her city had nothing to do with protests about the situation in the Middle East, it was a crime.
“I am deeply ashamed of the behaviour that unfolded,” Halsema told reporters. “On Telegram [messaging] groups people talked of going to hunt down Jews. It’s so terrible I can’t find the words for it.”
The mayor confirmed reports that taxi drivers had been involved in the attacks, after the head of the Netherlands’ Central Jewish Committee (CJO) said they had “moved in groups and cornered their targets”.
Chanan Hertzberger said “videos are circulating of assaults and attempts to run over Israelis”. Amsterdam’s biggest taxi company said its drivers had not been involved.
Israeli airline El Al said it was operating two “rescue flights” to Amsterdam to bring passengers back to Israel.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke of a “pogrom” against Maccabi fans and Israeli citizens. Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders who leads the biggest party in parliament also spoke of a pogrom, saying “authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens”.
Herzog said on X that he trusted the Dutch authorities would act immediately to “protect, locate and rescue all Israelis and Jews under attack”.
The violence in Amsterdam has raised questions about security for Israeli fans elsewhere in Europe.
Israel’s national security council urged fans to avoid a basketball game in the Italian city of Bologna on Friday evening because of the risk of “copycat actions”.
