‘Toxic cocktail’ led to violence in Amsterdam, says mayor | The Netherlands

The violence that erupted in Amsterdam last week was sparked by “a toxic cocktail” of hooliganism and anti-Semitism, according to a detailed report published by the city’s mayor.

The city is still gripped by high tensions days after violence flared up around a soccer match last Thursday between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

A senior police officer warned on Tuesday of calls for more riots in Amsterdam after dozens of people armed with sticks and fireworks set fire to a tram overnight.

In one 12 page letterFemke Halsema, the city’s mayor, provided the most comprehensive account yet of the racist animosity that has engulfed Amsterdam for nearly a week.

In his report, drawn up with Amsterdam’s public prosecutor and police, Halsema concluded: “What happened over the last few days was a toxic cocktail of anti-Semitism, football hooliganism and anger over the war in Palestine and Israel and other parts of the Middle East. “

Halsema presented the preliminary results at an emergency meeting of the city council on Tuesday. She lamented to the council that “injustice has been done to both Jews in our city as well as people of minorities who sympathize with the Palestinians”.

The mayor stressed that “although a more complete picture emerged” of Thursday night’s events, “and all sorts of horrible things happened, it in no way negates the need for a ‘hunt for Jews'”.

Ten residents of Israel were among those arrested, the report said, in the first public acknowledgment that Maccabi supporters may have broken the law.

The report shows that police were concerned about “fanatical” supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv the day before Thursday’s match, and confirmed police reports that Maccabi hooligans, some wearing face coverings, pulled down a Palestinian flag, shouted slogans and attacked a taxi with their belts. Police later saw “online calls appearing for taxi drivers to mobilize” against the Maccabi fans.

Thursday at At 11:00, the mayor and the police held a meeting that mainly concerned “the aggression of the Maccabi supporters and the response of the taxi drivers to it”. A call was made to the Israeli ambassador before the match, asking them to make sure the Israeli government is aware that “sport is not mixed with politics”.

On Thursday afternoon, police noted that messages on social media had increased “indicating the willingness to act against Maccabi supporters”, with a tone that was “harsh” with “anti-Semitic terms being used”.

That evening, a large group of Maccabi supporters walked around the city center, some with sticks in their hands, and committed vandalism, the report said.

After midnight, local groups committed “violent hit-and-run actions targeting Israeli supporters”, it said. “Rebels move in small groups, on foot, by scooter or car, briefly attack Maccabi supporters and then disappear again.”

While Dutch social media posts had concluded that “especially young Moroccan Amsterdammers have turned on Jewish and Israeli Maccabi supporters”, the report said: “The exact identity of the perpetrators must be established in a police investigation.”

It said: “Anti-Semitism cannot be answered with other racism: the safety of one group must not be at the expense of the safety of another.”

Five people needed hospital treatment, and up to 30 were injured in the violence. Dutch police said on Monday they had arrested five more people for their suspected involvement in attacks on Israeli football supporters. The suspects are men aged 18 to 37 who live in the Netherlands, the police said.

The Dutch prime minister, Dick Schoof, a former intelligence chief brought in under a coalition deal with Geert Wilders’ far-right Islamophobic PVV party, said “tough action” was needed to combat “unadulterated anti-Semitic violence” against Maccabi fans.

On Monday he described reports of violence, vandalism and racism from the Israeli club’s fans as being in a “different category”, although he said they would also be investigated.

World leaders were quick to condemn the attacks on Israelis, including Joe Biden, who called them “despicable”, but they have not spoken in detail about the behavior of Maccabi supporters, including violence against the Dutch.

The report said a fully independent investigation was underway into the violence as well as the actions of the Dutch authorities before, during and after the match.

On Tuesday, Olivier Dutilh of the Amsterdam police force said police were concerned about the threat of more unrest. The city has a large Muslim community and public sentiment has run high across Gaza, with more than 2,500 protests authorized so far this year.

Israel’s National Security Council has warned its citizens against traveling to the UK and Europe for cultural and sporting events following the attacks. Demonstrations, including pro-Palestinian marches, have been banned in Amsterdam.

The swift condemnation from the Dutch government comes as the country assesses its role in World War II. Three quarters of Holland’s Jewish population were murdered by the Nazis.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report