AMSTERDAM (Dispatches) – A wave of violence erupted late Thursday in Amsterdam when supporters of the Israeli soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv allegedly stormed through the city, tearing down Palestinian flags on private property and chanting incendiary slogans, according to the reports.
The incidents, which took place before and after Maccabi’s match against Ajax, have sparked widespread outrage, with reports of Israeli fans clashing with bystanders, vandalizing property, and setting a Palestinian flag alight.
Videos shared widely on social media depict Maccabi fans not only vandalizing private property but also attacking a local taxi driver and even confronting law enforcement officials.
Editor Max Blumenthal of The Grayzone News remarked Friday on the footage circulating online, stating:
“Many videos going around of Israeli soccer goons vandalizing property in Amsterdam, attacking cops and bystanders, and ripping down Palestinian flags. Now this fascist infestation is playing the victim and waiting for airlifts back to the colonies.”
Leyla Hamed, a football journalist, also corroborated late Thursday Blumenthal’s account:
“Hooligans from the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv marched through the streets of Amsterdam… They stole Palestinian flags from homes and even set a Palestinian flag on fire.”
After a wave of violence by Maccabi fans, Zionist regime officials labeled the incidents as “violence against Israeli citizens.”
Amsterdam-based daily newspaper, Het Parool also reported on Thursday that two arrests were made following afternoon skirmishes in Dam Square, though the identities of those detained have not been disclosed.
In response, several central areas were designated as “risk zones,” allowing police to conduct stop-and-search operations, according to Dutch News.
It added that Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema emphasized in a city council meeting that while there were no legal grounds to ban Maccabi fans from attending the game, the ongoing Gaza conflict had intensified emotions locally.