'They shouted Jewish, IDF': Israeli football fan describes attack in Amsterdam

A football supporter from Israel recounted an incident where he was assaulted by a group of men during a night of violence. According to the Amsterdam police, the attackers were young individuals on scooters who were executing "hit-and-run" style assaults that were difficult to stop.

Adi Reuben, a 24-year-old supporter of Maccabi Tel Aviv, shared with the BBC that while he was in Amsterdam for the club's Europa League game against Ajax, a group of young men attacked him. He described how they confronted him and kicked him while he was on the ground, as he was making his way back to his hotel.

He mentioned that over ten guys approached him and his friends, inquiring about their origins.

"They yelled 'Jewish, Jewish, Israeli Defense Forces, Israeli Defense Forces,'" Mr. Reuben stated, talking about the military of Israel.

"They began to harass me, and I understood that I needed to escape, but it was dark, and I was unsure of where to go. I ended up on the ground, surrounded by ten people who were kicking me while shouting ‘Palestine.’"

They were beating me on the ground for nearly a minute before they finally just walked away. They seemed completely unafraid.

"I noticed that my nose was bleeding profusely, and it felt broken, which was extremely painful."

Mr. Reuben mentioned that his vision was blurry for roughly half an hour following the incident. However, he chose not to go to the hospital in Amsterdam because he had heard that the taxi drivers were connected to the violence.

Instead, he stated that he would be traveling to Israel on a government-organized flight set for Friday afternoon to receive medical care.

"This was a planned attack that was arranged in advance," he also mentioned.

Pnina, another fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv, shared with the Dutch media outlet NOS that the attacks on Israelis seem to have been planned in advance.

"It felt purposeful. There were a lot of people around. They charged at us... We took cover in the hotels until it was safe to venture outside," she explained.

Esther Voet, the editor-in-chief of a Jewish weekly newspaper in the Netherlands, resides in the heart of the city. After witnessing the disturbing images of the violence, she decided to open her home to provide refuge for a number of Israeli supporters.

"I assured them that this is a Jewish household and that they would be safe here," she shared with the Israeli public broadcaster Kann. "There was a lot of fear among the people. I never imagined that I would experience something like this in Amsterdam."

The Dutch police reported that Israeli supporters experienced "significant mistreatment" during "hit-and-run" incidents, many of which involved young men riding scooters.

The police chief of Amsterdam, Peter Holla, mentioned that stopping these kinds of attacks has been challenging, despite a heavy police presence in the city center. To address the situation, the police decided to gather the Maccabi fans for their safety and then transport them out of the area using buses.

Five individuals sustained injuries but have since been discharged from the hospital, while an additional 20 to 30 people experienced minor injuries, he mentioned.

Officials reported that the assaults that took place overnight into Friday came after some conflicts between Maccabi supporters and locals in Amsterdam over the past few days.

On Wednesday, the police chief, Holla, reported that Maccabi fans assaulted a taxi and set a Palestinian flag on fire. In response, taxi drivers moved towards an area where approximately 400 Maccabi supporters were gathered, but the police successfully intervened and dispersed them. There were additional confrontations in Dam Square late into Thursday morning; however, the police managed to largely keep the groups apart.

On Thursday night before the game, police escorted pro-Palestinian protesters and largely succeeded in keeping them apart from the soccer fans. However, they later struggled to stop attacks that broke out in the evening.

"We are reflecting on a shocking 36 hours. There have been attacks on supporters from Israel, and many have faced horrendous abuse," Holla stated.

I'm really surprised that, despite having one of the biggest police operations, we weren't able to manage or stop this violence.

Amsterdam's mayor, Femke Halsema, mentioned that the conflict in the Middle East has jeopardized the tranquility of our city, leading to a shocking increase in antisemitism.

She mentioned that the supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv are not seen as a potential source of violence and that there is no hostility between them and the fans of the Dutch team Ajax.

"I acknowledge that this brings to mind the violent attacks of the past, and the fact that it occurred in Amsterdam is utterly shameful. It wasn't just individuals who were hurt last night; the very history of our city has suffered greatly, and Jewish culture is under threat," she stated.

In the past, certain supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv have been connected to racist behavior in Israel. This includes making derogatory remarks towards the team's Palestinian and Arab players, as well as allegedly pushing the team to remove those players from the roster.

Supporters of the team have earlier confronted demonstrators who were protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In response to video clips that seem to depict Maccabi fans in Amsterdam singing derogatory chants, Mayor Halsema stated, "The events from last night were not related to any form of protest. There is simply no justification for what took place."

Further coverage by Shaina Oppenheimer from Jerusalem.