An unconscious man being kicked by a group of Arab Muslim thugs while lying on the ground
Amsterdam is reflecting on a dark chapter in its history after violent 'anti-Semitic' attacks on Israeli football fans by Muslim Terror gangs, the city's radical leftist mayor said today, with questions mounting over how the situation was able to spiral so far out of control.
The Dutch King Willem-Alexander shared his 'deep horror and shock' over the events in a call with Isaac Herzog, telling the Israeli president: 'We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during World War Two, and last night we failed again.'
Hundreds of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were 'ambushed and attacked' in the Dutch capital as they left Ajax's stadium following a friendly Europa League match between Maccabi and Ajax.
Shocking videos flooded social media showing Israeli fans being chased and beaten on the streets late last night by Arab terror gangs, with some assailants shouting 'free Palestine'.
Israelis were severely injured in 'hit and run' attacks by 'scooter gangs' according to leftist/green Mayor Femke Halsema (appointed in 2018, not elected), with the attackers largely able to evade around 200 officers who were late in responding, police not showing up for hours during the night of chaos, and not required to protect Jews.
Many people were injured in the violence, Israeli officials said, with the Times of Israel and other outlets in the country reporting that the attacks were largely perpetrated by Amsterdam locals of Arabic origin.
Security forces have today been given emergency powers, with police able to search people and face coverings, and with protests banned across the city, as authorities try to reassure the Jewish community in the wake of the shocking violence.
What we know so far:
- Emergency measures are now in place - a ban on protests and face coverings
- Around 800 police personnel were deployed overnight as the situation spiralled out of control
- Authorities said 10 of the 62 people arrested are still being held by police
- Police said five were hospitalised, but Israeli officials say 10 were injured in total
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters walking towards a police line near the Johan Cruyff Arena
A thug hitting someone with a stick during a violent confrontation
Dutch police detain a thug at De Dam in Amsterdam
A man being dragged by his coat, with the person taking the video swearing at him and shouting statements in support of Gaza
Israel's new foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar traveled to the Dutch capital following Thursday night's events.
The Israeli government urged its citizens to stay inside their hotels and not have Jewish symbols on show if they did go outside on Friday morning, and announced they were sending two military cargo planes to bring citizens back to Israel.
'Amsterdam is looking back at a black night, today is a dark day,' Mayor Halsema said at a press conference today addressing the attacks, which she labelled an 'explosion of anti-Semitism.'
'Teenagers on scooters were driving through the town looking for Maccabi supporters, it was hit and run. Football fans were attacked and then rioters fled, running away from the police forces.
'This reminds us of pogroms, and that this has happened in Amsterdam is reprehensible.
'The history of our city has been deeply damaged, the Jewish culture has been threatened.'
She added that city police had been taken by surprise after security services failed to flag the match against Ajax Amsterdam, traditionally identified as a Jewish club, as high-risk.
Police today admitted that things got out of control.
People who were outside in the city were forced to seek shelter in shops, while hundreds of Israelis shut themselves in their hotels as they waited for the violence to subside.
One victim suffered a broken leg after being set upon by gang members, according to Dutch media, with authorities saying the rioters were 'actively looking for Israeli fans'.
'This outbreak of violence against Israeli fans has crossed all boundaries and cannot be justified,' police said in a news conference.
A masked mob of rioters carrying Palestinian flags
A rioter with a Palestinian flag, and a police mobile unit
Police officers make a security cordon around a bus
Police in riot gear run towards rioters after pro-Palestinian supporters marched near the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam
Jewish groups slammed the authorities' efforts as 'lax policing', with many criticising the absence of police in videos showing attacks by Arab Muslim thugs online.
Video circulated of masked attackers speaking Arabic chasing down Israeli fans in the city.
One video shows a man being dragged by his coat, with the person taking the video swearing at him and shouting statements in support of Gaza.
Leftist/Green Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema updated the press on the events that occurred overnight in the city
Pro-Palestinians demonstrate at Amsterdam's Anton de Komplein square
Pro-Palestinians march with Palestinian flags near the Ajax stadium in Amsterdam
Graphic footage shows a man being set on by a masked gang who knock him to the ground and start punching him, as he appears to say 'I am not Jewish' and pleads with them to stop.
Further video shows a man covering his head as he is hit by an attacker yelling 'this is for the children... free Palestine now!'
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof denounced the 'completely unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis'.
'I followed with horror the coverage from Amsterdam,' Schoof wrote on X, adding that he had spoken with Netanyahu to assure him that 'the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted'.
Netanyahu's office said he told Schoof that he 'views the premeditated anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens with utmost seriousness and [has] requested increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands'.
The King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander shared a statement saying he had spoken with Israeli president Isaac Herzog about the events of last night.
'I told him how shocked my wife and I were by the violence against Israeli supporters who are guests in our country,' the statement read.
'We must not look away from antisemitic behaviour on our streets. History has taught us how intimidation goes from bad to worse, with horrific consequences. Jewish people must feel safe in the Netherlands, everywhere and at all times. We embrace them all and hold them close.'
Britain's Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said on X: 'Utterly devastating scenes from The Netherlands. Hateful mobs have chased down Jewish & Israeli football fans on the streets of Amsterdam after a match, violently beating them and proudly posting the footage on social media.
'Many are injured and some people are currently missing. This should be a watershed moment for Europe and for the world, when it realises how severe the scourge of anti-Jewish hatred has become.
'Sadly, I fear it will not be and that tragically, this will not be the last such attack, God forbid.'
The head of the Holocaust Educational Trust, Karen Pollock CBE, said of the events: 'We are absolutely horrified at the shocking scenes from Amsterdam where Israeli and Jewish football fans have been hunted down, threatened and beaten up.
'We are reminded yet again that anti-Semitism starts with words but ends in violence. To see this on the eve of Kristallnacht where Jewish people were attacked, their homes, businesses and synagogues destroyed; and in the city of Anne Frank, must be a wake-up call for the authorities in European countries.
'We will redouble our efforts to call out this Jew hatred and demand urgent action whenever and wherever anti-Semitism rears its head.
'We must all - Jews and non-Jews alike - say enough is enough.'
Tory MP Robert Jenrick posted on X: 'These weren't 'clashes'. It was a modern-day pogrom. And another warning to the West about the consequences of mass migration and failed integration. Wake up before it's too late.'
Gideon Saar said in a statement that he had requested the Dutch government's assistance in ensuring Israeli citizens' safe exit from their hotels to the airport.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14060163/Amsterdam-black-night-Dutch-admit-failed-Jewish-community-attacks-mobs-Israeli-football-fans-WWII.html
Violent attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam by 'anti-Semitic' scooter gangs have been denounced as a 'Jew hunt on the streets of Amsterdam' by conservative politician Geert Wilders.
Hundreds of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were 'ambushed and attacked' in the Dutch capital as they left Ajax's stadium following a friendly Europa League match, with fans reporting they were then set upon by thugs.
Anti-immigration Party for Freedom leader Wilders decried the 'shameful' and 'unacceptable' violence and called for those who attacked the Maccabi supporters to be arrested and deported, suggesting they were migrants.
The attacks were largely perpetrated by Amsterdam locals of Arabic origin.
The horrific attacks saw masked men chase down, beat and kick Israeli fans, scenes which prompted the Israeli government to intervene.
Amsterdam's mayor today said that the city is looking back on a 'dark night' in its history, as she likened the disturbing scenes to the 'pogroms' seen in Europe's past and pointed out that the horror occurred on the anniversary of Kristallnacht.
Shocking videos flooded social media showing Israeli fans being violently beaten on the streets late last night, with the assailants shouting 'free Palestine' during the attacks.
An El Al aircraft lands on the tarmac at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, as the Israeli government prepares to evacuate citizens following attacks on football fans
Dutch authorities said the rioters were 'actively looking for Israeli fans'. 'This outbreak of violence against Israeli fans has crossed all boundaries and cannot be justified,' they said.
Netanyahu's office said that he 'views the premeditated anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens with utmost seriousness.
The army said it was coordinating a 'rescue mission' with cargo aircraft and medical and rescue teams.
Israel EVACUATES football fans from Amsterdam after Jews were beaten by mobs and forced to jump into canal to escape Arabic migrant thugs
Sickening footage and images of the violence began to emerge on social media.
It showed how young men were punched in the head, kicked in their stomachs, knocked unconscious and forced to jump into the canal to flee baying mobs with knives.
Israeli flag carrier El Al said it was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home, after the first flight carrying evacuees landed on Friday afternoon
People welcome Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans as they arrive at Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport on a flight from Amsterdam
Relieved to be home: A fan of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel-Aviv is met by a family member at Ben Gurion International Airport
Maccabi Tel-Aviv fans carry flags as they wait for the arrival of their friends and family members from Amsterdam, at the Ben Gurion International Airport
Many are now describing the shocking assault rained upon Maccabi Tel Aviv fans following the football match in Amsterdam as a 'Jew hunt'.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema did not hold back her disappointment as she labelled the violence as an 'explosion of anti-Semitism.'
She said today: 'Thugs on scooters were driving through the town looking for Maccabi supporters, it was hit and run.
'Football fans were attacked and then the rioters fled, as scooters make it easy to escape, running away from the police forces.'
She said the events were reminiscent of pogroms and Kristallnacht, a night of relentless Nazi violence against the Jews of Germany, which took place exactly 86 years ago today.
Halsema said the city had been 'deeply damaged, the Jewish culture has been threatened.'
Nauseating videos show the rage and aggression hurled against the Israeli fans on Thursday night.
In one, a young man is callously thrown to the ground as his assailant kicks and thrashes at him, shouting, 'mother f***er'.
Afraid, the man pleads with him to stop. 'I'll give you all my money', he says, attempting to pull out his wallet.
The attacker is not interested. 'Free Palestine now,' he screams. 'Free Palestine', he says again, this time in such a way his victim knows he is being ordered to say it too.
Cowering and fearing for his life, he says the words, only to be knocked over again moments later.
In another, a fan jumped into the dark canal to escape the aggressors - but they stay nearby to prevent him coming out of the water. One taunts him with: 'Say 'Free Palestine' and we go'.
A third video shows several men dragging their helpless victim along the cobblestones and throwing him to the ground.
'Gaza, motherf***ers they shout at him'.
Perhaps in one of the more shocking pieces of footage, an unconscious fan lies in the middle of the street as thugs relentlessly kick at his body.
Horrific photographs from the scene also reveal there were many other victims whose beatings were not caught on video.
Two young women, one covering her face, the other looking stunned, are seen sitting on the ground.
In another, a British-Jewish man has blood streaming down his face after he intervened in one such attack on an Israeli football fan and was himself assaulted.
The 33-year-old from Hendon, north London, known only as Aaron, told Jewish News last night how the thugs were 'not looking for Israelis - they were looking for Jews' during the terrifying night of chaos.
The father-of-two said he witnessed a helpless fan on the ground, 'his head pinned between a kerb and a metal gate, being viciously kicked.'
He intervened, but moments later, the gang returned and confronted him and his friend, Jacob, 'Are you Yehudi? Are you Jewish?'
Aaron said: 'I told him to leave him alone, and the next thing I know he punched me in the face. It was so unexpected.
'My glasses were broken, my nose split. Blood everywhere.
'After he punched me, about 20 more came out of their hiding places to effectively finish me off.'
When the leader of the gang said: 'He's British, leave him alone', another responded 'Yes, but he helped a Jew.'
That,' says Aaron, 'is why they were angry. Because I helped a Jew.'
With some time to reflect on what had happened to them, many Maccabi fans said they now believe they were the victim of pre-planned attacks - and lives could well have been lost.
One Israeli woman told Dutch media organisation NOS: 'It seems like it was organised.
'They jumped on us. They stabbed people. They beat them. They did horrible things.
'We hid in the hotel until it was safe outside.'
The attacks were largely perpetrated by Amsterdam locals of Arabic origin.
A British-Jewish man known only as Aaron was left with blood streaming down his face after he stepped in to help an Israeli football fan from being attacked by an anti-Jewish gang in Amsterdam on Thursday evening
Recounting the horror of his ordeal, Aaron told Jewish News: 'We left the game early to meet a friend.
'As we walked towards the bar area, chaos broke out—mopeds appeared from alleyways and a crowd surrounded an Israeli man.'
The father-of-two said he then witnessed the helpless fan on the ground, 'his head pinned between a kerb and a metal gate, being viciously kicked.'
Aaron, who was with his friend Jacob, who is also from London, decided to intervene and pushed the attackers away.
'We thought it was over,' he said.
But moments later, the gang returned and confronted them, asking, 'Are you Yehudi? Are you Jewish?'
Jacob, a father-of-three from Golders Green, north London, said the men asked to see their passports to check whether they were Jewish or not.
Despite denying they were Israeli, the men continued to harass the terrified pair and grabbed onto Jacob's coat.
'I told him to leave him alone, and the next thing I know he punched me in the face. It was so unexpected.
'My glasses were broken, my nose split. Blood everywhere.
'After he punched me, about 20 more came out of their hiding places to effectively finish me off.
'But I stood my ground. I said what you're doing is why you're not getting any support.'
When the leader of the gang said: 'He's British, leave him alone', another responded 'Yes, but he helped a Jew.'
'That,' says Aaron, 'is why they were angry. Because I helped a Jew.'
Aaron claims he did not see any police officers until 'after around 45 minutes' and believes they may have been 'scared' by the violent scenes as they unfolded.
He continued: 'I saw this poor dad with his kid running towards the hotel.
'They probably got him. They weren't looking for Israelis. They were looking for Jews. They knew what they were doing.
'It wasn't a random 'Oh, let's get an Israeli'. It was organised. It was 'We want Jews. We want Jewish blood'.'
Aaron later received stitches for his facial injuries at a local hospital.
In the moments following his attack, one of the gang came over to apologise to him, saying, 'Sorry we thought you were Zionist.'
Jacob added that after the apology, one of the gang said: 'The streets are full of Zionists and we need to get the Zionists'.
He said: 'I'm not one to be afraid but it was a dangerous situation. It was gangs of people looking for blood.'
He adds: 'They wanted to kill that guy I helped. They were just stomping on his head.'
Graphic footage shows a man being set on by a masked gang who knock him to the ground and start punching him, as he appears to say 'I am not Jewish' and pleads with them to stop.
Further video shows a man covering his head as he is hit by an attacker yelling 'free Palestine now!'
