Amsterdam Initiates Security Crack-Down After Violence Breaks Out Around Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv Match
Amsterdam is banning demonstrations until Monday and stepping up security measures after violent attacks on Israeli fans occurred before and after a soccer match on Thursday.
At least five people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, and police detained 62 people in response to the violence that Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema called “antisemitic hit-and-run squads,” Reuters reports.
Tensions in Amsterdam began escalating on Wednesday evening before the Europa League match at Johan Cruyff Arena between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday. Authorities took a preemptive step to ban a planned Pro-Palestinian demonstration near the stadium, and the Associated Press (AP) reports that video shows a crowd of Israeli fans “chanting anti-Arab slogans en route to the game.”
Ajax won the match. Afterwards, “youths on scooters crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then fleeing quickly to evade police,” the AP said, citing comments from Halsema.
After a sporting football match with a good atmosphere in our stadium – for which we thank all parties involved for the good cooperation – we were horrified to learn what happened in the centre of Amsterdam last night. We strongly condemn this violence.
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) November 8, 2024
In a statement from the mayor’s office, Halsema said the violence was “beyond all bounds and cannot be justified in any way” and that there will be “extra police on the move in the coming days to monitor and control the situation. In addition, there will be extra attention for the extra security of Jewish institutions and objects.”
While five people were taken to hospitals to treat their injuries, authorities estimated that another 20 to 30 people experienced light injuries. Ten suspects remain in police custody, following the arrest of 62 suspects total.
“The Amsterdam authorities said at a news conference that people had attacked Israeli fans and chanted anti-Israeli slogans, and that they were investigating whether the attacks were coordinated,” The New York Times reports. “They also said that some supporters of the Israeli team had taken a Palestinian flag down from a building. Videos posted to social media and verified by The New York Times show men taking down a Palestinian flag while others nearby hurled anti-Arab chants.”
Halsema's office said there was a large police presence in the city for the game, and local authorities are now beginning to map out the extent of the violence. The office added that the Amsterdam triangle, which includes the mayor, police chief, and chief public prosecutor, are in contact with the Dutch government, the Israeli embassy, and the Jewish community in Amsterdam about concerns related to the incident.
The Anne Frank House, the Amsterdam-based museum dedicated to preserving the home of Anne Frank and her family when they hid from Nazi occupiers during World War II, released a statement saying it was “horrified to learn of the antisemitic violence” that occurred in the city on the same evening of the National Kristallnacht commemoration.
“The footage of last night’s events in Amsterdam during the Kristallnacht commemoration is both shocking and shameful,” said Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House. “It is unimaginable that something like this could happen in Amsterdam in 2024.
“Pro-Palestinian rioters deliberately sought out Israeli supporters to attack and abuse them,” Leopold continued. “There is absolutely no justification for the unprecedented antisemitic behavior displayed last night. There is no excuse for hatred toward Jews. We urge the Amsterdam city council to take all necessary measures to ensure that the Jewish community feels safe and secure in the city.”
Security Experts' Response
Brandon Allen, director of research, the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4), notes that the violence appears to have happened away from the stadium the match was being played in.
“When assessing the attacks in Amsterdam, practitioners should pay close attention to the details of the incident, contributing factors and triggers, and the strengths and weaknesses associated with the response to the incident,” Allen explains. “As incident response details, lessons learned, and After-Action Reviews (AARs) become available, security practitioners should revisit their own security protocols and contingency plans to address any shortcomings an incident like this might highlight.”
Some actions that might mitigate a similar event could include communicating the threat level to all stakeholders, increasing security presence based on the threat level, containment of the threat such as a designated area for protesters, and communication of action plans and evacuation procedures to spectators in case of emergency. Allen also suggests referring to NCS4's resources and best practices to help benchmark and improve existing security measures.
James A. DeMeo, sports security expert, Unified Sports and Entertainment Security Consulting, says that in light of geopolitical divisiveness and protests, the need for today’s sport venue risk manager to proactively assess risk cannot be underscored.
“As this is an evolving situation, the importance of event preplanning, information sharing, intelligence gathering, and threat analysis—along with best practices, lessons learned, and responsible social media monitoring—is paramount for not only risk evaluation, but also integrating effective risk mitigation strategies to protect patrons, fans, and organizational assets,” DeMeo explains. “The international intelligence community will be monitoring this situation closely and looking to share timely information amongst key stakeholders working within today’s global sports security ecosystem.”
The Wider Impact
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Israel is sending planes to The Netherlands to help bring Israelis home. Netanyahu went to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Situation Room on Friday to discuss the effort to return Israelis and ongoing efforts with the Dutch government to fight against Islamic terrorism.
“Tomorrow, 86 years ago, was Kristallnacht, when Jews on European soil were attacked for being Jews,” Netanyahu said. “This has now recurred. This was marked yesterday in the streets of Amsterdam. This is what happened. There is only one difference: The State of the Jews has arisen. We need to deal with it.
“First of all, this puts us and them, the free countries and The Netherlands, in danger,” Netanyahu continued. “This endangers not only us but also them. But first of all we need to deal with the danger to us. We cannot accept this.”
The threat of violence breaking out between soccer fans is not a new one. Sometimes referred to as “hooliganism,” fan violence on and off the field began intensifying in the 1960s and many clubs now work with local authorities to mitigate it at highly-charged matches through a visible security presence, elaborate fence work, alcohol bans, and limiting opposing clubs’ fans interaction.
Following the Hamas terror attack on Israel last year and the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war, geopolitical tensions are playing out alongside soccer matches. On Monday, for instance, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) said that Maccabi Tel-Aviv’s match against Beşiktaş on 28 November will take place at a neutral venue. The decision was based on input from the Turkish authorities.
“The meeting between the two clubs was considered high-risk, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan having stepped up his verbal attacks on Israeli leaders since the war in Gaza started with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre,” according to The Times of Israel. Erdogan has often “lashed out at Israel for its conduct in the war, accusing it repeatedly of genocide and comparing it to Nazi Germany, while referring to Hamas as ‘freedom fighters’ and hosting its leaders in Ankara.”
And earlier in 2024, 12 soccer associations in the Middle East called on FIFA to ban Israel from global participation in the sport.
Jordan’s Football Association President and Prince Ali bin Al Hussein wrote in a letter obtained by SkyNews to FIFA asking it to take a “decisive stand against the atrocities committed in Palestine and the war crimes in Gaza, by condemning the killing of innocent civilians including players, coaches, referees, and officials, the destruction of the football infrastructure, and taking a united front in isolating the Israeli Football Association from all football-related activities until these acts of aggression cease.”
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) also presented arguments in May to FIFA, accusing the Israel Football Association (IFA) of violating FIFA statutes during the war and through including teams located in illegal settlements on Palestinian territory.
FIFA passed the arguments on to independent legal advisors for an evaluation. Al Jazeera reported on Monday that the football governing authority had postponed a decision on the PFA’s request, and that FIFA’s disciplinary committee would review the PFA’s allegations of discrimination.
“The FIFA Council has implemented due diligence on this very sensitive matter and, based on a thorough assessment, we have followed the advice of the independent experts,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a statement. “The ongoing violence in the region confirms that, above all considerations, and as stated at the 74th FIFA Congress, we need peace. As we remain extremely shocked by what is happening, and our thoughts are with those who are suffering, we urge all parties to restore peace to the region with immediate effect.”
