The Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism reported that Dutch authorities ignored three warnings about a planned attack on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam.
Despite alerts about potential violence, local forces failed to protect Israeli citizens, resulting in injuries and missing individuals.
“Uber drivers were at the center of organizing the attacks against Jews in Amsterdam”
‘The Police Abandoned Us To Thugs’
Israeli fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer club described the chaos and the violence they suffered immediately after the end of the soccer game between their club and Ajax, the local team. The fans told of organized groups of Muslim thugs who were out on the streets searching for Israelis and attacking them without provocation. The fans said the streets were empty of police, who did nothing to protect the fans.
One fan told Ynet that “They rammed into me and brandished a knife. I’m lightly injured but I’m not willing to get treatment here, only in Israel. They ambushed us, I’m in total shock. I saw with my own eyes kids getting nasty blows. They are everywhere and there’s no police, its chaos. They were organized beforehand, and the police abandoned us. Every fourth guy in the streets is a Muslim intent on attacking us. I and hundreds of others are stuck inside our hotel, police won’t let us go out. We just want to fly home.”
Another fan said that “Nobody offered us help, there’s no chance we’ll go to the hospital, I don’t rely on anyone here. The police themselves hit us with truncheons because they were afraid of the pro-Palestinians. We are now in the hotel, people are constantly photographing us. It feels like a pogrom.”
Another fan described seeing a police van and asking for help. “The policeman laughted and said: Yes,yes, bye bye. They didn’t want to deal with them at all. We are in danger here, we’ll only get out if Israel security guys come. The whole of Amsterdam is full of groups of Muslims waiting to attack Israelis. We won’t leave until we see Israeli officials.”
Currently there are five injured Israelis in hospitals and several others who have not yet made contact with their families. There are an estimated 10-20 injured and Israeli authorities are working to rescue the 2751 Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in Amsterdam and to secure them in their hotels prior to bringing them back.
President Herzog called the Dutch king to complain about the horrific anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis. The king sharply condemned the attacks and said that “We failed you (the Jews) in the 1940s and we failed you once again yesterday.” The leaders noted the date which is just before the anniversary of the 1938 Kristallnacht pogroms.
In the wake of the harsh attacks in Amsterdam, Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar sent officials to Amsterdam to help evacuate fans from the city. The Shin Bet has increased security measures for Israel’s representatives in Holland- the ambassador and the military attached who is normally in Belgium but currently assisting in Holland.
United Torah Judaism head Yitzchak Goldknopf spoke with local Chabad emissary Akiva Kamissar, who is operating an emergency room to help Israelis in the Dutch capital. Goldknopf thanked the emissary for his help and offered Israel’s assistance where required.
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