New arrests made in Amsterdam over violence after football match
A tram stands vandalised in Amsterdam on Monday evening
- Published
Dutch police have made five more arrests over the violence which followed a match involving an Israeli football team in Amsterdam on Thursday night.
The five men, all from the Netherlands and aged between 18 and 37, are suspected of "public violence against persons" before and after the Maccabi Tel Aviv match against local team Ajax.
Unrest flared up again in the city on Monday evening when an empty tram and a police car were set alight. Some rioters reportedly shouted "Free Palestine", according to Dutch reports.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said earlier on Monday that "antisemitic attacks against Israelis and Jews" were "nothing short of shocking and reprehensible".
Demonstrations have been temporarily banned in Amsterdam until Thursday, although a pro-Palestinian protest has been allowed to go ahead in a park away from the centre. Activists want another protest to take place outside Amsterdam city hall.
Last week, youths on scooters criss-crossed the Dutch capital in "hit-and-run" attacks on Maccabi supporters after the Europa League match, authorities said.
Five people were treated in hospital and others suffered minor injuries.
The five new arrests come on top of 63 announced by the authorities since the violence. One of the five was released from custody but remains a suspect.
Police also made several arrests after the new unrest in the city on Monday. No injuries were reported.
Dozens of youths dressed in black damaged cars in a western suburb, where the tram was attacked on '40-'45 Square. Videos posted on social media show a tram being attacked with fireworks and its windows being shattered.
A fire on the tram was quickly extinguished and riot officers cleared the square, making arrests, the ANP news agency reported. A police car was set alight elsewhere.
Schoof promised that the Netherlands would focus on bringing perpetrators of Thursday's violence to justice.
"The images and reports for Amsterdam and what we've seen this weekend of antisemitic attacks against Israelis and Jews are nothing short of shocking and reprehensible," he told journalists.
He also commented on reports that Maccabi supporters had attacked a taxi and burnt a Palestinian flag in Amsterdam, as well as chanting anti-Arab slogans.
"We are well aware of what happened earlier with Maccabi supporters but we think that's of a different category and we condemn any violence as well, but that is no excuse whatsoever for what happened later on that night in the attacks on Jews in Amsterdam," he said.
The broader ban on pro-Palestinian protests has angered activists.
Some have argued that they should be free to voice their disapproval of Israel's actions in Gaza and the actions of the Maccabi supporters.
Police chief Peter Holla said there had been incidents "on both sides" during Thursday's clashes.
In a separate development, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Europa League tie on 28 November has been moved from Istanbul to the Hungarian city of Debrecen. European football's governing body Uefa said the match with Besiktas would be played behind closed doors following a decision by Hungarian authorities.
The violence in Amsterdam last week was condemned by leaders across Europe, the US and Israel. For many, it was especially shocking coming on the eve of commemorations marking the November 1938 Nazi pogroms against German Jews.
Three-quarters of Jewish people in the Netherlands were murdered during the Holocaust in World War Two.
Reports of antisemitic incidents in Europe have risen since the start of the war in Gaza just over a year ago.