Traveling fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club instigated trouble on Nov. 6 and 7 in various parts of the Netherlands' capital right before the football club's Union of European Football Associations Europa League match against their opponents, Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax.
As reported by the Dutch daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, the Israeli hooligans were seen removing two Palestinian flags from the fronts of local residents' homes the night prior to the Maccabi-Ajax match.
A group of what appeared to be Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv fans also reportedly attacked an Arab taxi driver, though local police who responded to the incident claimed they couldn't identify the nationalities of the attackers as no arrests were made.
Another gang of Israeli fans assembled in Dam Square at the heart of Amsterdam the night before the match. They were filmed provoking conflicts with locals, yelling expletives at them and chanting "F--- you Palestine." (Related: Pro-Israel student screams “Kill the Jews” to invoke police crackdown on pro-Palestine protests.)
Prior to the match on Nov. 7, fans going to the Johan Cruyff Arena to the Maccabi-Ajax match were seen shouting: "Let the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] f--- the Arabs."
The Israeli fans also refused to join in a minute of silence before the match for the more than 200 people who died in the recent flooding in Eastern Spain, particularly in the Valencian Community.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema had also moved a pro-Palestine rally away from the stadium, which was planned by demonstrators who wanted to voice their dissatisfaction with hosting the Israeli team.
Locals fight back against Israeli hooligans, immediately demonized by media
Amid the harassment against Arabs in the city, clashes exploded between the Israeli thugs and some locals before and after the match and late into the night.
Social media footage revealed people clashing with each other and police intervening. Other videos show people attacking and chasing some of the Israeli fans.
Five people were hospitalized, and 62 individuals were arrested as stated by a police spokesperson.
According to a report from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz there were at least 10 Israelis wounded and the Israeli government has lost contact with at least two other Israeli hooligans.
On Nov. 8, Halsema said the exact number of those injured and arrested overall remains unknown. She said authorities were still in the process of confirming the complete scale of the incident.
Meanwhile, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not explain what led to what it called a "very violent incident against Israeli citizens."
Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office that he "views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity and demands that the Dutch government and security forces take vigorous and swift action against the rioters and ensure the safety of our citizens."
He also ordered the nation's intelligence agency to put together a plan to prevent violence at events overseas.
Follow Violence.news for more news about violent clashes.
Watch the video below about Amsterdam residents defending their city against Israeli football hooligans.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Israel sympathizers are unleashing violence at U.S. college campuses, not the other way around.
Pro-Palestine protesters burned American flag during Gaza solidarity march on Independence Day.
San Francisco to prosecute pro-Palestine demonstrators who blocked Bay Bridge.
Gaza solidarity student protests and encampments spread to Nordic nations.
Sources include:
MiddleEastEye.net
AD.nl
Haaretz.com
AlJazeera.com
Brighteon.com
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