THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Police detained dozens of people Sunday for taking part in a demonstration in central Amsterdam that had been outlawed following violence targeting fans of an Israeli soccer club, local media reported.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema banned all demonstrations over the weekend in the aftermath of the grim scenes of youths on scooters and on foot attacking Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters on Thursday and Friday in what was widely condemned as a violent outburst of antisemitism in the Dutch capital.
Late Sunday afternoon, the municipality, together with Amsterdam police and public prosecutor’s office, extended the ban on demonstrations until Thursday morning.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema holds a press conference after several fights broke out in the city following the UEFA Europa League match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv, on Nov. 8, 2024. Amsterdam police arrested pro-Palestinian protesters on Sunday for defying the city’s three-day ban on demonstrations that was implemented in response to the attacks on fans of the Israeli soccer club, as well as the anti-Palestinian behavior and chants by those fans.
Koen Van Weel/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands said that 2,000 Israelis were brought home on special flights from Amsterdam over the past few days.
Before the match against Ajax, Maccabi fans also tore a Palestinian flag off a building in Amsterdam and chanted anti-Arab slogans on their way to the stadium. There were also reports of Maccabi fans starting fights.
Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool reported that about 100 people were detained, and media said they were taken away in buses. Police confirmed they were detaining demonstrators, but didn’t give numbers.
The protesters yelled slogans including “Free, free Palestine.”
Amsterdam Municipality said on X that police had begun arresting demonstrators who refused to leave the square, which is in the heart of the city’s downtown shopping area and close to the historic canal network.
Dutch police aggressively arrest protesters who were demonstrating against the government and media’s decision to attribute post-match violence between the Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer clubs to pro-Palestinian supporters, on Nov. 10, 2024. The violence on Friday, Nov. 8, resulted in a rare three-day ban on demonstrations in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Selman Aksunger/Anadolu via Getty Images
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