Amsterdam banned demonstrations for three days after violence surrounding a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv left Israeli supporters injured and brought competing accounts of how several days of tensions escalated. Dutch authorities condemned the attacks on Israelis as antisemitic.
Clashes were reported near the Johan Cruyff Arena and elsewhere in Amsterdam before and after Thursday night’s match, which Ajax won 5-0. Police said Maccabi supporters left the stadium without incident, but confrontations later broke out across the city centre. Five people were briefly admitted to hospital with light injuries, and police arrested 62 people. Israel’s Foreign Ministry separately said 10 Israelis were injured.
The violence did not emerge from a single uncontested sequence. Reporting and videos reviewed by Al Jazeera showed Maccabi supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before the game and an individual removing a Palestinian flag from a building. Police had already said they were watching the situation closely following politically charged incidents, including the flag removal.
Amsterdam councillor Jazie Veldhuyzen alleged that Maccabi fans attacked Palestinian supporters and homes displaying Palestinian flags, prompting local residents to respond. A Palestinian community activist also accused Israeli fans of attacking people, property and taxi drivers. Those accounts represented attributed claims rather than findings established in the supplied evidence.
After the match, Israeli supporters were beaten in attacks across the city. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the assaults on Israelis unacceptable and antisemitic, and said those responsible would be identified and prosecuted. CNN reported that the city imposed its three-day prohibition on protests following the overnight violence. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema had already barred a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the match because of concerns about confrontations. Around 600 police officers were deployed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded rapid action by Dutch authorities and ordered security officials, including the head of Mossad, to prepare plans for preventing violence at overseas events. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar asked his Dutch counterpart for help protecting supporters travelling from their hotels to the airport.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, condemned the anti-Arab chants and the apparent attack on the Palestinian flag, and asked the Dutch government to investigate who initiated the unrest and protect Palestinian and Arab residents. The Palestine Football Association also urged FIFA and UEFA to address racist and Islamophobic rhetoric among Israeli supporters. UEFA condemned violence before and after the fixture and called for those responsible to be identified and charged.
The available accounts establish violence by different participants at different points, but do not provide a definitive, independently adjudicated chronology for every incident. The confirmed official response combined arrests, a large police deployment and temporary restrictions on public demonstrations as Amsterdam sought to prevent further disorder.
