Unrest in Amsterdam as further arrests made over Maccabi clashes

The metropolis assembly will clasp an emergency statement complete unit astir past week’s UEFA lucifer featuring Israeli team.

Unrest continued overnight successful Amsterdam arsenic nan Dutch constabulary said they had made much arrests successful relationship pinch past week’s clashes involving Israeli shot fans and pro-Palestinians.

Amsterdam’s metropolis assembly is owed to talk nan events, which authorities person branded “anti-Semitic”, connected Tuesday. However, galore reports person noted unit and provocation connected nan portion of nan visiting Israeli fans.

Police successful nan Netherlands superior reported precocious connected Monday nan apprehension of 5 group successful relationship pinch nan unit that flared astir Thursday’s lucifer betwixt Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Dozens of group equipped pinch sticks and firecrackers gathered successful a suburb overnight connected Monday, constabulary said. Youths claiming solidarity pinch Palestinians group occurrence to a tram, smashed windows and yelled abusive language, according to Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen, reporting from nan city. The occurrence was quickly extinguished and riot constabulary cleared nan area.

The 5 group arrested were men aged betwixt 18 and 37. Earlier, more than 60 people were arrested successful relationship pinch nan unit that near 5 injured.

The latest arrests were made successful relationship pinch battle complete nan weekend, constabulary said, adding much group could beryllium rounded up.

‘Very low’

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters connected Monday that nan number of arrests made truthful acold is “very low”. Israel has offered to thief analyse nan violence, which was preceded by Israeli fans, immoderate of whom served successful nan army, chanting anti-Arab slogans and tearing down Palestinian flags.

Tensions person been moving precocious for days pursuing nan clashes, Vaessen said.

“The presence of much than 3,000 Maccabi Tel Aviv fans successful Amsterdam past week was not considered high-risk by Dutch authorities, though 1 Jewish activistic told constabulary they are wide known for governmental unit successful Israel and galore service arsenic soldiers successful Gaza,” she said.

Yuval Gal of nan Erev Yav Jewish Collective said he, on pinch others, tried to explicate to authorities that soldiers who served successful nan Gaza Strip had travel to Amsterdam.

“For them, coming to Amsterdam was a small spot demonstration, a pro-Israeli demonstration. So it was not only astir football,” he said.

A taxi driver told Al Jazeera that his car had been attacked arsenic he was filming Maccabi fans. He said nan constabulary took nary action erstwhile he reported nan incident.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said nan Israeli fans were subjected to “unadulterated anti-Semitic violence” and described those who attacked nan Israelis arsenic group “with a migration background”.

Mayor Femke Halsema has said “hit and run” attacks had been carried retired against Israeli “guests successful our city” and appeared to comparison events to “pogroms” against Jews successful European history.

However, footage circulating connected societal media shows Maccabi fans wielding scaffolding poles and throwing stones and planks of wood astatine constabulary aft nan game.

An Amsterdam metropolis assembly personnel told Al Jazeera that nan Israeli fans had instigated nan unit aft arriving successful nan metropolis and attacking Palestinian supporters earlier nan match.

“They began attacking houses of group successful Amsterdam pinch Palestinian flags, truthful that’s really wherever nan unit started,” Councilman Jazie Veldhuyzen said.

The metropolis assembly is owed to clasp an emergency statement connected Tuesday. Officials said they scheme to coming an overview of events to nan council.

Following nan unrest, Maccabi’s adjacent lucifer successful European competition, against Turkey’s Besiktas, has been moved.

Citing information concerns, Turkey has said it will not big nan November 28 tie. The lucifer will now beryllium played down closed doors successful Hungary, UEFA announced connected Monday.

Source

:

Al Jazeera and news agencies