Amsterdam police detain pro-Palestinian protesters at banned demonstration
THE HAGUE — Police detained dozens of people Sunday for taking part in a demonstration in central Amsterdam that had been outlawed following violence targeting fans of an Israeli soccer club, local media reported.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema banned all demonstrations over the weekend in the aftermath of the grim scenes of youths on scooters and on foot attacking Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters on Thursday and Friday in what was widely condemned as a violent outburst of antisemitism in the Dutch capital.
Late Sunday afternoon, the municipality, together with Amsterdam police and public prosecutor’s office, extended the ban on demonstrations until Thursday morning.
Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands said that 2,000 Israelis were brought home on special flights from Amsterdam over the last few days.
Before the match against Ajax, Maccabi fans also tore a Palestinian flag off a building in Amsterdam and chanted anti-Arab slogans on their way to the stadium. There were also reports of Maccabi fans starting fights.
Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool reported that about 100 people were detained, and media said they were taken away in buses. Police confirmed they were detaining demonstrators, but didn’t give numbers.
The protesters yelled slogans including “Free, free Palestine.”
Dutch officials say young people on scooters attacked Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam after calls to target Jewish people spread on social media.
Amsterdam Municipality said on X that police had begun arresting demonstrators who refused to leave the square, which is in the heart of the city’s downtown shopping area and close to the historic canal network.
Organizers of the protest went to court Sunday morning seeking an injunction to allow the demonstration, but a judge upheld the ban imposed by the municipality.
At the hearing, senior Amsterdam police officer Olivier Dutilh said that there were again incidents overnight targeting people thought to be Jewish, including some being ordered out of taxis and others being asked to produce their passports to confirm their nationality.
Police launched a large-scale investigation Friday after gangs of youths conducted what Amsterdam’s mayor called “hit and run” attacks on fans that were apparently inspired by calls on social media to target Jewish people. Five people were treated at hospitals and more than 60 suspects were arrested.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rushed to the Netherlands on Friday and offered Israel’s help in the police investigation. He met on Saturday with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and said in a statement that the attacks and demands to show passports “were reminiscent of dark periods in history.”
In France, Paris police said Sunday that 4,000 officers and 1,600 stadium staff will be deployed for a France-Israel soccer match Thursday to ensure security in and around the stadium and on public transportation.
Corder writes for the Associated Press.
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