In Amsterdam, police detained dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators after they defied a citywide ban on public protests.
Hundreds of people gathered in Dam Square on Sunday, calling for an end to the Gaza conflict and expressing frustration with the protest ban. The ban was issued by Mayor Femke Halsema following attacks on Israeli football fans after a Thursday night match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam, which led to multiple injuries.
The Israeli government has since advised its citizens to avoid Israeli sports and cultural events abroad, specifically referencing the upcoming France-Israel football match in Paris. Thursday’s attacks, which resulted in five people being hospitalized, were reportedly motivated by antisemitism as fans were targeted across Amsterdam.
The violence, which saw at least 62 arrests, was widely condemned by leaders in Europe, the US, and Israel, especially as it coincided with the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi pogroms against Jews in Germany. In the Netherlands, a country that lost three-quarters of its Jewish population during the Holocaust, the attacks have raised particular concern.
Amsterdam police reported additional incidents on Wednesday night, with Israeli fans allegedly removing and burning a Palestinian flag and later clashing with a taxi driver. Following this unrest, Mayor Halsema imposed a temporary ban on public gatherings, designating Amsterdam a “high-risk security area.”
Despite the ban, protesters gathered on Sunday, insisting on their right to speak out against Israel’s actions in Gaza and the behavior of some Maccabi supporters.
On Sunday, demonstrator Alexander van Stokkum told AFP that the protest in Amsterdam “has nothing to do with antisemitism” and was instead directed at “Israeli hooligans who were destroying our city.” Other participants voiced similar sentiments, telling Reuters, “We reject using accusations of antisemitism as a tool to silence Palestinian resistance.”
The protest, defying a public assembly ban, led to over 100 detentions, according to news agency reports, although Amsterdam police confirmed arrests without specifying numbers.
Dutch activist Frank van der Linde had sought an urgent permit to allow the protest despite the ban. He expressed his opposition to what he described as “the genocide in Gaza” on social platform X, stating, “We will not let our right to demonstrate be taken away.” His request was ultimately rejected by Amsterdam’s district court, which upheld the mayor’s decision to prohibit demonstrations over the weekend. Van der Linde was reportedly among those arrested, as reported by De Telegraaf.
The Israeli embassy in the Netherlands previously advised its citizens to avoid Dam Square, citing concerns that the event “may escalate into significant violent incidents.” Israel’s National Security Council has also urged its citizens abroad to avoid public demonstrations and conceal any identifying markers as Israeli or Jewish, in response to Thursday’s attacks.
Additionally, France’s National Security Council is deploying 4,000 officers to secure the Nations League match in Paris on 14 November, responding to concerns of potential violence.