Luis Ayllón
The Spanish Government on Friday condemned the attacks on fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv football team, which took place on Thursday night in Amsterdam.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses this condemnation and adds that “Spain is a country committed to the fight against violence and any form of hatred and strongly rejects anti-Semitism anywhere and under any circumstances.”
The incidents occurred in the centre of Amsterdam, at the end of the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi, at the Johan Cruyff Arena, when groups of people who had participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the stadium ambushed and attacked supporters of the Israeli team.
The attackers, according to the Israeli Embassy in Madrid, roamed the streets of the city shouting anti-Israeli slogans and proudly posted their violent acts on social media, which included hitting, kicking and attacking Israeli fans. The attackers shouted “Free Palestine” and forced the people being harassed to do so if they wanted to stop being attacked.
The Dutch government described the events, in which five people were injured, as “unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks” and arrested about sixty people, of whom 10 remained in custody on Friday.
The Israeli president described the action as an “anti-Semitic pogrom”, saying: “We see with horror this morning the shocking images that, since October 7, we hoped not to see again.”
For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the immediate dispatch of two “rescue planes” for his citizens, while demanding that the Dutch authorities “act firmly and quickly against the rioters.”
The new Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, maintained contact with Dutch authorities to provide security for the fans on the way from their hotels to Amsterdam airport to board the planes.
