‘Deeply ashamed’: Netherlands PM condemns ‘antisemitic’ attack on Israelis in Amsterdam

Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof on Friday condemned the attack on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam, terming the incident as “terribly antisemitic”. Schoof said that he was “deeply ashamed” that an incident like this could happen in the Netherlands in 2024.

While speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the European Union leaders' meeting in Budapest, the Netherlands PM said, “It's a terrible anti-Semitic attack. We will not tolerate (it). We will prosecute the perpetrators. And I'm deeply ashamed that this could happen in the Netherlands in 2024.”

Schoof further said that he would leave the summit early to head to Amsterdam to review the situation.

This comes after dozens of Israeli soccer fans were attacked by pro-Palestinian groups in Amsterdam after a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in the UEFA Europa League. Eyewitnesses and video clips from the incident showed a group of men running on the streets chasing multiple people, and yelling anti-Israel slogans.

The Dutch police on Friday arrested 62 people in connection with the antisemitic attack on Israeli soccer fans after at least five people were hospitalised as a result of the violence.

Read more: Israel sends in planes to rescue Israeli soccer fans after ‘antisemitic’ attack in Amsterdam

The clashes had begun on Wednesday, 24 hours before the match. Police spokesman Peter Holla said there had been "incidents on both sides" on Wednesday night. He added, "Maccabi supporters removed a flag from a facade on the Rokin and they destroyed a taxi. A Palestinian flag was set on fire on the Dam."

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered two cargo planes to be sent to Amsterdam for the Israelis in the city with medical and rescue teams. Netanyahu also spoke to Dick Schoof on Friday, thanking him for “expressing shock over last night’s events and for saying that it was an extraordinary and anti-Semitic event.”

Schoof cited “completely unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis” in a post on X early on Friday. He assured Netanyahu that perpetrators would be prosecuted. He further said that the situation is “now quiet” in Amsterdam.

Dutch media reported that the number of antisemitic attacks in the Netherlands has significantly increased since October 7, when Palestinian group Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel, sparking the Gaza war.

(With inputs from AFP, Reuters)

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