Israeli football fans describe violent attacks in Amsterdam as police step up powers and ban protests after attacks

Omer Ben Hamo said he was locked in an Amsterdam casino by police for his safety on Thursday night for three hours after attackers left Maccabi Tel Aviv fans covered in blood.

He thought he was safe when the officers let them go.

Later, his group was ambushed by people who asked if they were Jews.

“They tried to stab us, we fought back and managed to escape,” he told ABC at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

“One of them got back into the car and hit me with the car and pushed me about 20 feet.”

He wasn’t the only one attacked.

Nitai Harel got off the subway in central Amsterdam after watching Israeli football team Maccabi lose to Ajax in the Europa League.

He said that as the large group of friends split into smaller groups, a crowd questioned their heritage and attacked.

A similar situation happened to Ron Meron and his friends, one of whom was carrying the Maccabi flag.

“They were running, yelling at us, spitting at us… when they came to us, they kicked us in the back,” he said.

“I didn’t see any weapons, but we were beaten and humiliated.

“It was very scary, we were in a foreign country, we didn’t see a single police officer,” he said.

The group ran back to their hotel and refused to leave because they were too afraid of the streets outside.

They spent the night, booking an earlier flight home.

“We did our best to prevent another minute from happening in this country,” he said.

Omer Ben Hamo and Natai Harel and their friends also booked early flight tickets to return to Israel, saying they would not return.

Amsterdam bans demonstrations, increases police powers

Dutch authorities said 10 people remained in custody on Friday following a series of violent attacks by what Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema described as “anti-Semitic hit-and-run squads”.

The extent of the attacks remains unclear, but authorities said five people were treated in hospital and others suffered minor injuries after being attacked on Thursday night local time.

More than 60 people were detained.

Police said officers had to intervene to escort some Maccabi fans to their accommodation in the city.

The city banned demonstrations for three days and gave city police extra search powers because of the violence.

Tensions rose in the city before and after the match, officials said Friday.

Amsterdam police chief Peter Holla said the Palestinian flag was taken down and burned on Wednesday night, a day before the attacks on Israelis.

Authorities reported that there was an incident between Maccabi fans and taxi drivers before the match.

In clips circulating on social media, Maccabi fans can be seen chanting anti-Arab slogans, lowering the Palestinian flag and singing a song containing abusive language about Arabs.

Some Maccabi fans in the stadium were seen observing a minute’s silence for the victims of the Valencia floods; This was probably because Spain was highly critical of Israel’s behavior in Gaza and Lebanon.

Other uploaded clips show attackers targeting Israeli supporters shouting “Free Palestine”, “this is for the children”, “this is Gaza” and “now you know how you feel” during the events.

In one of them, a man wearing Maccabi club uniform sitting on the ground begs the attackers to take his money, while the attackers shout “Free Palestine” at him, which he repeats in fear.

A pro-Palestinian group that organized protests against the match predicted clashes on its Telegram channel, warning participants to prepare for “serious violence”.

Dutch and Israeli prime ministers condemn violence

On Friday local time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attacks as a repeat of pogroms against Jews in Europe.

“Tomorrow, that is, 86 years ago, was Kristallnacht, when Jews on European soil were attacked because they were Jews. This has now been repeated,” Netanyahu said.

“We cannot accept this.”

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said attacks on Israeli football fans were a sign of increasing anti-Semitism in the Netherlands.

“We will prosecute the perpetrators and I am deeply ashamed that this could happen in the Netherlands in 2024,” Mr Schoof said, speaking on the sidelines of a summit of European Union leaders in Budapest. he said.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said that the city is proud of its multicultural and Jewish past.

“There was a terrible anti-Semitic outburst in our city, and I hope we never see it again in this city,” Mayor Halsema said.

The clashes took place despite the city council banning the pro-Palestinian demonstration, fearing clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli supporters.

Dutch authorities launched an investigation

Authorities in Amsterdam defended the police presence in the city, saying 800 police officers were mobilized for the match.

However, most of the violence occurred in the city center after fans left the match peacefully.

Mayor Halsema confirmed that an independent investigation had been launched into the incident.

He refused to comment on the alleged nationality of the attackers and said it was a matter for investigation.

Fans like Ron Meron were shocked and grateful to be safe.

“There were cases worse than us, we were lucky,” he said.

He was flying from the Netherlands when he spoke to the ABC on Friday morning, enjoying the relief of being on his way home.

“This was a very difficult situation for me and I don’t think I will ever return to Amsterdam again,” he said.