Pro-Palestine, Pro-Israel Supporters Clash in Amsterdam

By Worthy News’ Johan Th. Bos in Amsterdam and Stefan J. Bos

AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – Pro-Israel and pro-Palestine supporters clashed in Amsterdam, where the Dutch capital’s soccer club Ajax played against Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel amid tight security.

At the same time, a live televised talk show of Dutch broadcaster BNNVARA was interrupted by a pro-Palestine activist carrying a flag and shouting anti-Israel slogans.

Ahead of the match at the Johan Cruijff ArenA stadium, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema banned protests in the area, fearing clashes.

She did not ban similar pro-Palestine rallies on October 7, the day of the Hamas massacre in Israel, near pro-Israel rallies.

Earlier pro-Hamas and Palestine protests were allowed near the opening ceremony of Amsterdam’s Holocaust Museum, where protesters shouted antisemitic slogans against survivors of the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah.

Yet after a public outcry, Halsema said she decided to ban such rallies at sensitive areas Thursday, citing “clear indications of violence.” She referred to Ajax’s hard-core supporters, the F-side, who said they “wanted to intervene” in the pro-Palestine protest.

Ajax players also endured antisemitic slogans, as the club has had several Jewish players and managers. Amid the tensions, Ajax won 5-0 against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League match.

AMSTERDAM UNREST

Yet, Ajax celebrations were overshadowed by unrest outside the stadium where hundreds of supporters of the Israeli team had gathered at Amsterdam’s central Dam Square.

Armed with fireworks, several clashed with pro-Palestinian demonstrators, who were also allowed in the area despite a heavy police presence.

However, reporters established that dozens of people, at least 30 by the last count, were detained during the day.

Following the incidents at Dam Square, near the National Monument where Jewish and other victims of wars are remembered, anti-Israel protesters moved toward the stadium.

Shouting slogans such as “Allahu Akbar!, meaning “Allah is the greatest!” and “Free Palestine!” demonstrators gathered at a shopping center near the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Police tried to prevent the crowds from reaching the stadium and pushed them back to a square that had been designated for the purpose.

However, the skirmishes in the streets of Amsterdam underscored broader concerns among Dutch Jews about rising anti-Israel sentiments along with antisemitism in the Netherlands.

BAR LATE

That became clear late Thursday when a man interrupted the “Bar Laat”(“Bar Late”) talk show of Dutch public broadcaster BNNVARA.

Shortly after television host Jeroen Pauw introduced Dutch leftist GroenLinks-PvdA (GreenLeft–Labour) party leader Frans Timmermans, the man shouted that the “state journalist” was “not giving a platform to anti-genocide demonstrators.

He shouted, “Children are being burned alive in Gaza and dying of hunger.”

Addressing Timmermans, the demonstrator said that he “denies genocide.” “I don’t do that,” the politician responded. Security guards then whisked the protester away.

“Scandalous, shame on you, where is your conscience?” he shouted.

Israel has vehemently denied it committed genocide in Gaza, saying it targets “Hamas terrorists” who massacred some 1,200 people in Israel last year.

Hamas-run authorities say more than 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, but those figures have been complex to verify independently.

Israel has given slightly lower death toll numbers but adds that nearly half of the victims are Hamas fighters.

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