Amsterdam police were bracing for yet another night of unrest on Tuesday as the Dutch capital grapples with antisemitic violence that started with attacks against visiting Israeli football fans last week.
The Dutch capital was put under emergency measures last Friday, following the clashes that broke out after Thursday night’s soccer match between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dutch side Ajax.
Most protests have been banned and police presence have been beefed up across the city, but the violence has not eased.
Amsterdam police chief Olivier Dutilh said his force was preparing for another turbulent night on Tuesday. “There are calls for similar situations in Amsterdam West this evening. It’s happening right now. There are calls: women and children stay at home. That worries us.”
Clashes erupted just after 7 p.m. on Monday in western Amsterdam, where a tram was set on fire, windows smashed and police officers pelted with stones.
Videos posted to social media show that people shouted antisemitic slurs as a firework was lit inside the tram, shattering a window and causing the vehicle to go up in flames. Three people were arrested, police said. One person in the group was injured by fireworks and treated at the scene.
Later on Monday, a passing cyclist was pulled from his bike and attacked, receiving heavy blows to his head, police said, adding that the suspect was detained while other rioters threw stones at the officers.
Police said the area was largely calm by 11 p.m., although a police bus near the scene was set on fire around 3:30 a.m.
The violence on Monday broke out after more than 50 people were arrested at a banned pro-Palestinian demonstration in central Amsterdam on Sunday.
The emergency measures will be in place until at least Thursday. Apart from the ban on protests, the city has also forbidden people from wearing face coverings when “accompanied by potential disruptions to public order.”
The local government in Amsterdam said that a demonstration about Gaza that was scheduled for Tuesday was granted exemption from the protest ban, although it will take place in a park away from the city center.
Jewish institutions in the city have been given extra security.
‘Outburst of antisemitism’
The attacks have sparked outrage across the Netherlands. The Amsterdam City Council held an emergency debate about the violence on Tuesday, while the Dutch parliament is scheduled to discuss it on Wednesday, in a debate requested by the far-right politician Geert Wilders.
The anti-Islam populist Wilders has seized the opportunity to denounce the violence as a product of what he calls Netherland’s policy of “wide open borders.”
Tensions had been rising in the lead-up to Thursday night’s match, with multiple social media videos showing Maccabi fans chanting anti-Arab slurs, praising Israeli military attacks in Gaza and yelling “f**k the Arabs.”
The day before the match, Maccabi supporters tore down flags and vandalized a taxi, according to Amsterdam Police Chief Peter Holla. A Palestinian flag was set on fire, he said.
The police said that rioters moved in small groups on foot, on scooters and in cars, searching the city and targeting Maccabi supporters in “hit-and-run” attacks. Several people were injured, with five receiving treatment in hospitals.
The same evening, a call for taxi drivers to mobilize appeared online, with many driving to a casino where 400 Maccabi supporters were present, Holla continued. The police escorted the Israeli fans out of the casino safely, but there was still some unrest around the casino, he added.
In a public letter outlining the events of last week, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said on Monday that the violence had stemmed “from a toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism, and anger about the conflicts in Palestine and Israel, and other countries in the Middle East.”
She said in light of the violence, the city and the police had considered calling off Thursday’s match, but found no legal grounds to do so. She said the police believed cancelling the game could make the situation unmanageable, given the large number of supporters already in the city.
Halsema also said she was initially unable to contact the Dutch prime minister as the violence broke out but was in contact with the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands.
“Recognizing the potential international implications, the mayor attempted to contact the prime minister at 03:00 (a.m.). Unable to reach him, she called the minister of justice and security, briefing him on developments. They agreed that the minister would inform the prime minister,” the letter said.
Describing Thursday’s violence as an “outburst of antisemitism,” Halsema referred to “Telegram groups where people spoke of hunting Jews.
“That is so shocking, so reprehensible I can’t get over it yet. It is a disgrace,” she said at a news conference in Amsterdam’s City Hall last Friday.
The police said 62 people, including 10 Israeli citizens, were arrested in connection with the violence on Thursday. The force said Monday it had made six more arrests since then as it identified more suspects.
Four people – two minors, ages 16 and 17, and two men, 19 and 26 – remained in custody as of Tuesday, according to the Public Prosecution Service.
CNN’s Eugenia Yosef, Edward Szekeres, Lauren Kent, Mick Krever and Sophie Tanno contributed to this report.
