The Fort Worth Press - Leaders condemn 'anti-Semitic' football clashes in Amsterdam

USD -
AED 3.67298
AFN 70.455799
ALL 94.926049
AMD 396.561904
ANG 1.802404
AOA 911.999645
ARS 1031.805202
AUD 1.609865
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.69739
BAM 1.893064
BBD 2.019301
BDT 121.514233
BGN 1.89683
BHD 0.37693
BIF 2957.61424
BMD 1
BND 1.365185
BOB 6.911037
BRL 6.206102
BSD 1.000068
BTN 85.790615
BWP 13.909323
BYN 3.272902
BYR 19600
BZD 2.008847
CAD 1.44342
CDF 2870.000211
CHF 0.909775
CLF 0.036292
CLP 1001.489947
CNY 7.299501
CNH 7.337095
COP 4419.97
CRC 509.809995
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 106.729066
CZK 24.434304
DJF 178.089882
DKK 7.240965
DOP 61.086214
DZD 136.112016
EGP 50.761392
ERN 15
ETB 127.609304
EUR 0.97079
FJD 2.32675
FKP 0.791982
GBP 0.807311
GEL 2.809859
GGP 0.791982
GHS 14.696118
GIP 0.791982
GMD 71.999735
GNF 8645.572193
GTQ 7.715464
GYD 209.237947
HKD 7.77621
HNL 25.410161
HRK 7.172906
HTG 130.632157
HUF 401.599497
IDR 16224.2
ILS 3.648215
IMP 0.791982
INR 85.76015
IQD 1310.109184
IRR 42087.498711
ISK 139.690272
JEP 0.791982
JMD 155.622665
JOD 0.709304
JPY 156.982018
KES 129.260121
KGS 87.000105
KHR 4034.381292
KMF 466.124987
KPW 899.999441
KRW 1469.714997
KWD 0.30848
KYD 0.833398
KZT 524.885783
LAK 21820.100084
LBP 89561.817003
LKR 293.225441
LRD 184.516953
LSL 18.719716
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.915113
MAD 10.118959
MDL 18.442195
MGA 4736.093231
MKD 59.616959
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.99987
MOP 8.011576
MRU 39.883655
MUR 46.94979
MVR 15.397579
MWK 1734.147687
MXN 20.755102
MYR 4.478503
MZN 63.903729
NAD 18.719897
NGN 1546.080473
NIO 36.801146
NOK 11.36111
NPR 137.26479
NZD 1.784165
OMR 0.385006
PAB 1.000068
PEN 3.756582
PGK 4.064348
PHP 57.973009
PKR 278.675578
PLN 4.14902
PYG 7801.535141
QAR 3.646395
RON 4.828355
RSD 113.583021
RUB 111.499481
RWF 1377.961902
SAR 3.755599
SBD 8.383555
SCR 14.158794
SDG 601.494181
SEK 11.109775
SGD 1.36666
SHP 0.791982
SLE 22.803909
SLL 20969.503029
SOS 571.569614
SRD 35.079819
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.751077
SYP 2512.530243
SZL 18.716122
THB 34.286503
TJS 10.901048
TMT 3.51
TND 3.209888
TOP 2.342103
TRY 35.312503
TTD 6.796821
TWD 32.883504
TZS 2434.999875
UAH 42.120062
UGX 3678.143118
UYU 44.089321
UZS 12906.410616
VES 51.96383
VND 25457.5
VUV 118.722003
WST 2.762788
XAF 634.928179
XAG 0.03402
XAU 0.000378
XCD 2.702551
XDR 0.7669
XOF 634.922033
XPF 115.435618
YER 250.37499
ZAR 18.7165
ZMK 9001.187145
ZMW 27.827089
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    -2.9800

    59.02

    -5.05%

  • NGG

    0.2200

    59.64

    +0.37%

  • CMSC

    0.2800

    23.21

    +1.21%

  • BTI

    0.2550

    36.575

    +0.7%

  • RIO

    0.2100

    59.02

    +0.36%

  • BP

    0.3800

    29.94

    +1.27%

  • GSK

    0.1550

    33.975

    +0.46%

  • SCS

    0.0490

    11.869

    +0.41%

  • CMSD

    0.2550

    23.385

    +1.09%

  • RELX

    0.1100

    45.53

    +0.24%

  • BCC

    0.0400

    118.9

    +0.03%

  • BCE

    0.0950

    23.275

    +0.41%

  • VOD

    0.0150

    8.505

    +0.18%

  • AZN

    0.6900

    66.21

    +1.04%

  • JRI

    0.0600

    12.19

    +0.49%

  • RYCEF

    0.1600

    7.24

    +2.21%

Leaders condemn 'anti-Semitic' football clashes in Amsterdam
Leaders condemn 'anti-Semitic' football clashes in Amsterdam / Photo: © ANP/AFP

Leaders condemn 'anti-Semitic' football clashes in Amsterdam

Israeli, Dutch and European leaders on Friday condemned "anti-Semitic" clashes that erupted in Amsterdam overnight after a Europa League football match, with Israel sending rescue planes for their citizens.

Text size:

The violence flared after the game between home team Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv that Ajax won 5-0.

Five people were hospitalised and 62 arrests were made as a result of the clashes, police said.

As fans of both teams gathered in Amsterdam for Thursday's match, police said were on alert and monitoring several incidents including the tearing down of a Palestinian flag from a building.

Violent clashes then appear to have erupted around midnight, Dutch media AT5 reported.

Social media platforms were flooded with unverified images purported to be of the violence, but confirmed details of the clashes were few.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the clashes and said the "shocking images" of a "pogrom", reminiscent of last year's Hamas attack on Israel.

"We see with horror this morning, the shocking images and videos that since October 7th, we had hoped never to see again: an antisemitic pogrom currently taking place against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam, Netherlands," Herzog said on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered two planes be sent to the Netherlands to bring the Israeli fans home.

The first plane took off from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv heading for Amsterdam on Friday.

- 'Horror' -

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 requested increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands", his office said.

Dutch authorities said they would hold a press conference at 1100 GMT.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was "outraged" by "vile attacks targeting Israeli citizens in Amsterdam".

"I strongly condemn these unacceptable acts," von der Leyen wrote on X.

"Anti-Semitism has absolutely no place in Europe. And we are determined to fight all forms of hatred," she added.

The United Nations meanwhile called the violence "very troubling".

AT5 reported that numerous fights, as well as acts of vandalism, had occurred in the city centre.

"A large number of mobile unit vehicles are present and reinforcements have also been called in," it reported. "Young people also allegedly provoked the police".

Images on AT5 showed Dutch police escorting fans back to their hotels.

Unverified video on social media purportedly filmed on Thursday appeared to show some Maccabi fans chanting in Hebrew: "Finish the Arabs! We're going to win!"

The Israeli embassy in the United States said "hundreds" of Maccabi fans were "ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam tonight as they left the stadium following a game".

In its post on X, the embassy blamed the incident on a "mob who targeted innocent Israelis".

Israeli authorities urged their citizens in Amsterdam to stay in their hotels and avoid showing Israeli or Jewish symbols if they do go outside.

The army said it was coordinating a "rescue mission" with cargo aircraft and medical and rescue teams.

Israel's new foreign minister 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 to take the rescue flights.

A pro-Palestinian rally against the Israeli football club's visit was initially scheduled to take place near the stadium on Thursday, but was relocated by Amsterdam city council for security reasons.

In another potential flashpoint linked to football, France are scheduled to face Israel in an international match at the Stade de France in Paris next Thursday.

The French government said on Friday the match would go ahead as planned.

The violence in Amsterdam took place with anti-Israeli sentiment and reported anti-Semitic acts across the world soaring as Israel wages wars against Iran-backed militants in Lebanon and in Gaza, which have seen massive civilian casualties.

burs/yad/db/gj/yad

L.Coleman--TFWP