Supporters of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv football team were assaulted in Amsterdam on Thursday night as they exited the stadium following a Europa League match against Dutch team Ajax.
Urgent call for action!
I am receiving videos and evidence of Israeli sports-tourists in Amsterdam being brutally attacked.
What I see seems to be life-threatening: innocent people being run-over, beaten, driven into a river and more.
I call on the Dutch authorities to act…
— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) November 8, 2024
The Israeli Foreign Ministry reported that at least ten Israelis were injured in the attacks, though the severity of their injuries remains unknown. The ministry advised the affected fans, who are currently out of contact, to remain in their hotels.
Israel’s National Security Council has also urged citizens not to display Israeli or Jewish symbols publicly.
Netanyahu called on Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and local law enforcement “to act decisively and swiftly against the rioters, and to ensure the wellbeing of our citizens.”
Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, condemned the violence, describing it as “a pogrom.”
“These are the true faces of the supporters of the radical terrorism we are fighting. The Western world needs to wake up now!” Danon wrote in a post on X.
The embassy shared a video on social media that purportedly shows violent incidents involving Maccabi fans.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted that approximately 30 people have been arrested so far.
Amsterdam police reported increasing their presence in the city on Wednesday night before the match. According to a police statement on X, officers prevented a confrontation that night between a group of taxi drivers and a group of visitors.
