“They cut my face, knocked out a tooth and hit my son”

Amsterdam This Thursday, November 7, he experienced a night of terror. Violence was once again present in a football match, but this time of a nature that has nothing to do with the beautiful game. A pitched battle between a pro-Palestinian group and supporters of the Israelis of Maccabi Tel Aviv which caused panic in the Dutch capital.

Ambushes, fires, punches, broken teeth, people beaten to the ground until they lost consciousness… Total cruelty which left at least 10 injured, more than 60 arrested and two missing.

A confrontation which reached its peak after the end of the match between Ajax and Maccabi, but whose origins dated back to the day before. Dutch media reports that Maccabi hooligans marched through the city’s streets, removing Palestinian flags from balconies and shouting against Palestine. The Israeli press described what happened as a “planned ambush”.

After all, as usually happens in these types of pitched battles outside a football stadium, the righteous usually sin for the sinners. one of them was Yaakov Masri, a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan who came with his son to watch the match, said what happened to Israeli news channel 13.

“They started beating us, broke my face, knocked out my tooth and cut my lip,” he said. “My son was punched twice in the face,” added Yaakov Masri, who said he called the police to send a patrol car, but “they said they were busy with other incidents.”

Hours later, they found help and were escorted to their hotel room, completely barricaded with tables to block the door. Yarin Chai Yitzhak was also taken to his accommodation and said that “they hit me in the face and kicked me in the stomach.”

Panic in the streets

The atmosphere around the Johan Cruyff Arena was very tense from the start. Supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv, whose ultras had removed Palestinian flags from several balconies of houses near their accommodation, marched through the streets of Amsterdam chanting “Let the IDF win”.

Before the crash, arrests had already been made for various altercations, but everything broke out after 11 p.m. An ambush by the pro-Palestinian group against any Maccabi fan. They waited for them in groups of 10 to 15 people near the metro, on corners, in alleys… until panic broke out.

Many supporters of the Israeli club were persecuted and violently attacked by pro-Palestinians. With fists, with sticks and even with knives. Countless videos have been shared on social media, testifying to the seriousness of the matter.

Cars were forced to stop due to a pitched battle encroaching on the roads, or to avoid crushing unconscious people on the asphalt. Some of those hiding inside the portals were also not saved and ended up being beaten.

Absolute rejection

The acts of violence experienced in Amsterdam sparked a multitude of reactions from political leaders in both countries. Without going any further, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he would send two planes to the Netherlands to pick up Maccabi supporters.

He also called for emergency legislation Femke Halsema, mayor of Amsterdam, who announced that the city was designated a “security risk zone” after what she considers a “crime” reminiscent of “pogroms”.

“Children on scooters drove around the city looking for Israeli supporters. It was a hit-and-run. I understand very well that this brings back memories of the pogroms,” said Halsema, who said that “a call launched on Telegram to track down Jews.” ” in Amsterdam, which “is a shame” and is investigating whether the violence was “premeditated”.